#grace from the 17th century ........ She

[spindrifters]

my nana died yesterday. she was 94, and beautiful. the boys at her university used to call her champagne. she was a leo. an actress. a youth counselor. a labor union organizer. a mystic. very much the main event. she got to live a long and fantastic life, and I will miss her so, so much.

but I want to talk about something.

my nana had a difficult relationship with jews. not her own judaism. other american jews.

she was sephardi in ashkenormative america to begin with, already had serious beef to start. the ashki temple in her city refused to bury her father in the only jewish graveyard because he wasn't a member. she was a microminority within a minority that had no grace at the time for her.

it didn't help that she was born in the 1920s and watched over the course of the 20th century and the aftermath of the horrors of the shoah as zionism went from an unpopular fringe movement to something that took over and corrupted the establishment of her faith. my nana was a staunch and vocal antizionist, like her parents before her.

it isn't lost on me, the irony of her maiden name.

israel.

something that long predates the establishment of the settler colonial state in palestine. it was never meant to be what it's become. did you know that jews didn't used to have last names? we had patronyms. christians forced us to take their idea of surnames around the 17th century. most ashkenazim picked their trades. gold or silver or cohen. for sephardim, it was popular to go with where they lived at the time or where they had once had roots. mitrani and lousada and taranto. maybe it was so they could find each other in the diaspora.

but my ancestors took it a step further. they chose to go with israel. the name of that diaspora. the unifying tribal name, that needs no physical land to identify itself. it means one who wrestles with god. it was something beautiful, once. like my nana. for her sake, I hope one day it could be again.

may her memory be a revolution.

[dazed--xx]

🌘Rewriting Destiny (teaser) 🌒

Member: Duke! Chan x reader

Word count: 813

Trigger warnings: ANGST, Death (FL), psychological, trauma, poisoning, parental neglect/abuse, arranged marriage, anxiety, Nobility, engagement at a young age, regression, murder, revenge, mentions of magic, PTSD, manipulation, regretful ML, Resentment, betrayal, classism, 17th century ideals, homophobia(mentions), SOME!historical accuracy, LOTS! of historical inaccuracies, BREAK UP!, grief, mourning, denial, failure to let go, etc…

A/N: so I'm still transferring this story from my notebook onto tumblr but I wanted to get y'all excited for the new story so here is a little teaser of the story and don't worry its not too big of a spoiler 😂🤪

The family she had married into had lost use for her...

Y/Ns blood ran cold as she came to the realization. The move to the annex, the maids becoming more and more ruthless, and the lack of guards around her annex becoming more frequent. Her time is slowly coming to an end. She wondered if there was a point to all of this. Would there be a point in running? Her mother would hunt her down and skin her alive if she did. ‘Die a respected Dutchess rather than run and be a divorced beggar’ she could hear her mother say. Y/N watches as the blue clear sky fades into a bright purple and orange hue.

A knock on her door pulls her attention away from her thoughts. “Yes?” She calls monotonously. “The Duke is in the receiving room, My lady.” Area calls softly. Y/N's eyebrows furrow in confusion. “My lady?” Area calls once again when she doesn't reply. “I-Im coming! I apologize, Aera.” Y/N replies as she shakily lifts herself from her seat. The whole walk to the receiving room Y/N worried.

Why was he here? He's never visited of his own accord. What could be happening? Would he cast her out himself? A petite hand grips her own pulling her out of her thoughts. Y/N stares at the owner, as Aera gives her a comforting smile. Y/N lets out a sigh, the butler pulls open the door. She hesitates for a moment, it had been a year—one full year, since she had last seen her husband. A lot could change in a single year. She feared how her husband had changed; it was never good for her. She entered the room, her heart sank into her stomach. There he sat, at the head of the room. A flurry of maids standing about waiting on baited breath for his every command. His hair was no longer the clean-cut style but overgrown, sitting raggedly over his forehead and disheveled. Evidence of his bath dripping onto his loose black shirt. He sat a scowl on his plush lips as he sipped his tea. “To what do I owe the honor, Your grace?” Y/N questioned monotonously. “Should I have a reason to visit my dear wife?” He states smugly as he places his tea on the table in front of him. “Especially when I do not receive her greetings after a year-long monster-hunting expedition and come to discover she no longer lives in the same house as me?” Y/N stares at him in bewilderment and confusion. “Your grace?” She stammered “Please, take a seat” He gestured to the loveseat in front of him, his face no longer containing any emotion.

Y/N sits nervously as she begins to question her husband. “I apologize, but what do you mean? I’ve received your letter and followed your instructions.” Chan furrowed his eyebrows as his ears perked up “What letter?” Y/N's attention is pulled away from him by the slight clink of a teacup being placed on the table in front of her. Y/N's eyes remained focused on the maid for a moment, she couldn't quite put her finger on it but something felt…off. “Have you gone deaf in the past 5 minutes?” Chan questions frustratedly. Y/N shakes her head taking hold of the teacup and taking a sip. “No, I apologize. I've not been feeling well today” Y/N states calmly. Her throat begins to feel a small burning sensation. “What letter? When did you receive a letter from me?” Chan asks stoically. Y/N coughs slightly “My apologies, I received your letter about one months time ago” She takes another sip of tea trying to alleviate the growing discomfort. Chan stares at her with his eyebrows raised “And you are sure it was addressed from me?” her throat begins to burn incessantly. Her eyes widen as her mouth fills with a coppery tast as she coughs again.

“My lady?!?!” Area exclaims worriedly “Y/N?!”

Only then does Y/N make the connection. The maid—She works in the main manor, and she’s Kari’s personal maid. Y/N stares at the teacup in her hand, dropping it in a panic. Her eyes meet Chan’s for a moment. He sat stoically, but his eyes never once left her. Y/N rushes to her feet, reaching out for her personal maid “Aera!” She calls. Her tone gurgles and hoarse as crimson cascades out of her mouth. Her legs give way beneath her as she feels arms around her. The room begins to grow blurry as she feels the life fading from her body.

No…No not yet, please God! Don't let me die! I didn't get away…I-I was never happy please! She prays God please let me be happy. “If I could do it all over again…Id have never married you. My biggest regret was walking down that aisle…” She croaks as everything fades to black.

Taglist: @yangbbokari @lovesunshinefelix @oddracha @msauthor @azazelstays @rylea08 @skzfelixlove @blondechannie @moonchildlv @kibs-and-bits @5starlee @pnutbutter-n-j-elyy @lizzetmv @hwanriri

[voluptuarian]

Favorite Movie Costumes (pt. 1)

Recently got the line-up-your-toys urge to list and discuss my favorite tv and movie costumes-- my favorites are many and tumblr's image limit is low, so I'm not sure how many posts this'll eventually spread to, but here's the first crop.

The Queen's red gown - The Brother's Grimm

I don't think anyone on earth wanted to love this movie more than I did when it came out-- sadly, the film itself was generally a letdown. However, its costumes absolutely delivered, which should come as no surprise since they were designed by Gabriella Pescucci. The costumes for Monica Belluci's queen are my favorites of all, but this piece, the one she wears for most of the movie, may be my favorite costume of all time.

The costume has several iterations; it's paired most prominently with her enormous horned headdress (my fave), but she also wears it with a more delicate tiara.

Marianne de Morangias' red riding habit - Brotherhood of the Wolf

Although Brotherhood of the Wolf is far from a good movie, I have a terrible soft spot for it, which is mostly due to its wonderful costumes, including a crowd of hunting costumes throughout, none more gorgeous than the one Marianne's debuts during the film's first hunt.

I probably owe my love of riding habits to American Girl's Felicity and her swoon-worthy green velvet habit-- they are sadly underused in movies (meanwhile Marianne not only wears this red habit, but also shows off an equally beautiful green one later.)

Christine Daae's masquerade dress - The Phantom of the Opera

Fun fact, I watched this movie as a teenager (after falling in with the inescapable junior high theater nerd crowd, who tried unsuccessfully to use this as a gateway drug to getting me hooked on musicals), then forgot about the vast majority of the costumes, and stumbled upon it again years later without realizing it was from a movie and completely fell in love with it.

I'm very fond of the early 1870s silhouette in general, long trains in particular, and the back of this one is what really sold me. The frothy layers of chiffon?? the flowers?? the graceful tiered bustle?? Obsessed. (Another fun fact, this is one of the references I always bring up when discussing potential wedding dresses.)

Imogen Spurnrose's red ensemble - Carnival Row

I know, another red velvet number ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Imogen's wardrobe is full of lovely quasi-Victorian pieces, but this one had me GASPING when it came on screen. These pictures do not do the color or vibrancy of that jacket justice!

Geilis Duncan's white ballgown - Outlander

I'm usually not a fan of stripped down historical styles, especially ones this anachronistic, but something about the minimalist design of this dress just charmed me.

It reminds of in some way of artistic undress in 17th century portraits, and the lightness of the colors and material has this clean, airy, almost White Lady quality to it, and the simplicity and limited accessorizing really brings out the period silhouette. (Also I adore lover's eyes).

Vanessa Ives' lace blouse - Penny Dreadful

Vanessa has a gorgeous wardrobe (Gabriella Pescucci hitting it out of the park again) containing a number of delicate black and white blouses, but this one is my favorite.

The design is not that complex, but the wealth of tiny details, especially the petal shaped blackworked collar and cuffs, give it a huge visual punch; paired with the decorative belt and beautiful black skirt it's a very unique look that shows off some of the most beautiful elements of the period (last photo courtesy @periodcostumefantasylover)

Lorna's church dress - Lorna Doone

YES another red number. And what a red!! This miniseries is so obscure I had to do my own (butt ugly) screencaps off Youtube, but despite being a fairly modest production, they do some nice 17th century looks in it.

This dress is glimpsed for a moment as Lorna catches sight of her separated lover through the crowd-- very dramatic, but unfortunately it means getting a good look at the beautiful dress is hard, but I did my best: here's the actual scene, if you want a better look (and I'd recommend the series, too!)

Virginia Wilson's Worth dress - 1899

Big shock, the replica House of Worth dress made it in *Oprah shrug* I've adored the original dress for years, so I went nuts seeing it on the show! On top of just top tier everything, the costuming on 1899 was great, and the fact that they decided to throw this dress in was just the cherry on top.

There are some minimal differences between this dress and its inspiration, most notably the change in pattern-- Virginia's dress not only incorporates the alchemical logo like all the rest of the characters, but the rounded edges in the original are all made jagged to match it, as you can really see in the last photo.

---- on to part 2!

[agirlwholovesrockstars]

𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖒𝖆𝖐𝖊 𝖒𝖊 𝖋𝖊𝖊𝖑 𝖇𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖓𝖊𝖜

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮

"𝘛𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯"

彡 𝓼𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽 彡

✦ 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 | 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 ✦

𝕾𝖚𝖒𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖞 : locked away from freedom yet again, you've come too far, you wouldn't let your guard down, won't lose hope because of one good reason

𝖂𝖔𝖗𝖉 𝕮𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖙 : light and straight to the point, I promise

𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘 : 18+ Knight!Eddie Munson x Princess!FEM!reader, language, reader and Eddie are both (21), Henry is (30+), Jason (my apologies), use of y/n, age gap, manipulation, arrange marriage, Jason is so eager to make reader give up- so, beware of how I made him so toxic in this, harassment, rumors, town gossip, denial, reader having trust issues

𝖂𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝕰𝖝𝖕𝖊𝖈𝖙 : the awaiting fluff will come over soon, the first chapters will be a lot of ANGST! , the story is set in 17th century, upside down exists in this series, dark fantasy, romance, drama, action, slight Wayne reoccurring, if you squint 🤫

𝕹𝖔𝖙𝖊 𝕿𝖔 𝕽𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖗 : the frequent likes and the reblogs, keep em' coming because I'm literally so stoked to see y'all loving it! even though I'm still shy and couldn't believe that this little series of mine will be seen! 🥺🫶🏻

𝕬𝖚𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖗 𝕹𝖔𝖙𝖊 : I'm honestly itching to literally jump to the big revelation of Eddie's character in this, just wait til' see you guys- good things comes to those who wait ;))

☆ EDDIE MUNSON'S MASTERLIST ☆

❣ AGATHA'S MAIN PAGE ❣

You woke up in your bedroom

Haunted

Haunted, by the fact that you came back here again, the place you once you called home

Now, the place, upside down, the one that many people say it's a horrific world

It is given that it's indeed scary to live there, you wanted to go back because you felt much more safer there

The duality of being in here, in your palace, where it's normal, you know it in yourself that you will always choose, the unusual place

The upside down

You're are now dreading to go outside with Henry and Jason

"You only lived there for a month, Y/N"

Jason's voice echoes into your mind, he told that to you while removing the bind from your wrist

You don't care

You really don't give a shit that he's talking about

You never felt more secured since your father disappearance when you're with Eddie

In all of your 20 years of life, funny, you've almost forgotten your birthday today

It's just not the same anymore

You loved your home, you really do

But ever since that night, it changed everything

Every corner, every room, every inch of your place is now tarnished and tainted by the creeps that is now roaming all over your home

"Miss?"

A knock from your door, taken you back into the reality

You begrudgingly sighed as you sit up

"You may enter"

"Morning, your grace" your maid arrives with a tray of breakfast

You eat up as you already planning to escape again

You've noticed that your maid hasn't left your chambers yet

You knit your brows together as you watch her hesitant to speak out loud

"Can I say something?"

"Go on"

She looks over at your door before she spoke up, she leans closer as she whispers

"I know- the king, your father has already warned you about people like them but he is right, your excellency"

You chew slowly as you listen

"I don't know, if you'll believe me but I saw Henry, he has the ability to lift things with his hands"

You blinked "I'm sorry? What?"

she struggles to explain as she stutters "I-I think, Henry has powers"

The last words that she told you, it's like only for you to hear as she speaks it so low

You stare at her as you try to rethink all of the interactions that you had with him before

"Don't worry, I believe you, thank you for telling me"

"Your most welcome-"

"Y/N, morning"

as if on cue, speak of the devil, Henry came inside your room unannounced, you covered yourself with blanket, conscious about his actions

"Is she troubling you?"

You and the maid looked at each other as you think for a better valid reason that'll work

"The eggs are a bit runny, I'm just explaining her how to cook it the way that I like"

You gave her the tray as she took it and leaves the room

"Don't you have any manners, Henry?" You cleared your throat

The way he looks at you, you can't really tell if he's being genuine or not

You don't see that when you look at Eddie

"Oh, pardon, my intrusion, princess- I just wanted to see you how you're doing"

You wrap your arms around yourself hoping that he'll take the hint that you're shielding yourself

Your white nightgown is so thin and see-through, you glanced at your vanity, there's your robe draping in the rim of your chair, god- you wished you've worn it, the only decent that's covering you it's your blanket but you can't help but feel naked in front of him

"I'm fine, thank you for asking" you briefly look at him straight in the eyes

"Accept my apologies on the behalf of Jason, I know he's taken you too far from any inconveniences, he can be so arse about his duties but he's a strong soldier and I trust him"

You tried your best not to roll your eyes at his utterance

He's a fucking asshole, alright- that's all he is

You lick your lips as you try to muster up "You have my forgiveness, but Henry, next time, you'll knock before you enter my room" your face expression has that strict look

He nods as he humbled down towards your tone

Your maid came back with your breakfast tray, Henry has still have something more to say but decides against it

"I'll leave you to it" Henry tug up a small smile to you as you nod at him

Why don't you bring the smile back at him?

Once he shuts the door behind him

You fall back onto your bed as you say while you look at the ceiling

"I am conflicted whether he is being honest or not, his aura is so questionable to me"

"Your highness, your food might get cold-"

"To you what can you say about him?" You raise yourself back up to your position before as you ask your maid

"Uh- he's plucky"

You snorted "Right on, I can agree with that"

"How can we passed the guards?" Gareth says as he carries his things

"People can recognize us!" Jeff puts on a scarf over his neck

"So, let's disguise then" Eddie covers himself a cloak with a hood and he gave the others the same thing

"Oh, isn't that just so easy to hide! I know you care for the girl but are you sure this is going to work?" Gareth sarcastically smiles as he reasons with Eddie

"Not that only he cares for her but also he loves her" Jeff shoots a wink at Eddie as he puts on the cloak

"I am going to skin you both alive" Eddie who is annoyed while the two starts snickering and an amused Enzo approaching them

"What's this that I hear? Now, I get it why she pulled that act for you"

"That was nothing- it's just these two are getting on my nerves" Eddie scoffs as he clutches his sword and went out first in the portal

"Oh my fucking great" Gareth frustratedly throw his hand up

"What is it?" Jeff questions him as he watches his friend stressed out

Gareth points to your castle that is literally miles away ahead from them

"Do you think we can still get there alive?" He looks over at Eddie who is squeezing his eyes, restraining every part inside of him not to annihilate- he is still annoyed at the thought that he might have feelings for you

"You gotta have a lot of faith, Gareth" Eddie told him as his friend rolls his eyes at him

"Good thing, there aren't people around to see us" Enzo looks around the woods that leads to town

"Let's get going" Eddie nods as all of them start walking

It's weird to wear your gowns

It's weird to walk around the halls of your home with your heels clicking

It's weird to have someone help you to get ready, you don't want this and you don't need this

You want to get out of here

You want to be with someone who can fix this whole madness

You're headed towards at the library that way you could avoid talking to them

But, the moment you turn on the other side, Henry is there

Shit

Before you could turn your heel around, he spoke your name as you shut your eyes as you sighed, you look back at him

He straightens himself up as he looks at you

From your face and your whole get up

"You look ravishing, Y/N"

You really don't wanna talk to him

"Uh- thank you, I should be going-"

"Please- don't" he took your hand in his as you look down at it and back at him

He saw your untrusting expression that is targeted at him, he quickly rips his hands from you

"I know we get off in the wrong foot, but, can we please- let's just start over?"

You want to believe him

You really do

But, something else is holding you back to get close to him

You cannot read to what he meant behind those eyes

Why do you get the feeling that he is hiding something?

Is he really being truthful to you?

"I-I don't know, Henry"

"But we could start slow- that's fine by me"

You shift in your stance as you finally look at him

His eyes are longing for you?

"How could I know that you're not tricking me?"

"I am not, Y/N, I just wanted you to know that I'm here for you"

"Can you give me some time to think about it?"

"Of course" his smile is hopeful and somehow you're still taking precautions to his actions

But, your words are promising to him

That's progress

"Oh- what a fucking picturesque that you're both going on, hmm?" A slurring Jason appeared before you

You rolled your eyes at his drunken state

"Let's not, Jason" Henry narrows his eyes at him as he shielded you away from him

"Did you asked her about the marriage?"

Your soft eyes went aflame as you glare at Henry

"No- it's not what you think, Y/N!" Henry grumbles as he looks at Jason

"Don't you see it? Y/N? He likes you!" Jason chuckles as he tries to balance himself

"Go to fucking hell, Jason" You spat as you leave them both together but before you could do that he blocks your path

"Now- don't you dare walk out of me!" He grabs your wrists as he hold you tightly

"Let me go! Jason!" You grimaced at his alcoholic breath as you tried to take off the grip that he has on you

"Jason- get your hands off with her!" Henry had enough of him as he hold him back off with you

Jason wouldn't let go as Henry fumed at him

He had no choice but to....

A sudden force that made he him move away from you as your eyes widened, knocking off Jason at the wall as he drops to the floor

Your maid earlier told you about this

But, seeing this in action made you feel shocked even you already knew

You're petrified as you blink rapidly as you watch Henry wiped off the blood from his nose with the back of his hand

You take a step backwards but Henry felt you moving away from him

"No- no- no" He moves closer to hold both of your forearms

As you start shaking in fear, you flinched at his cold touch

"Please, don't be afraid"

You tried to speak but you couldn't as you start to sob quietly

"I wouldn't let anyone hurt you, Y/N- I would never hurt you" he starts to cradle your cheek as you watch his movements

"This is what I fear of you, you being scared of me"

You let the ghostly tears fall as he uses his thumb to remove it, you try to gain back your composure

"Henry, please, I need a moment to breathe"

He blinks as he nods at you as he gives you some space

You look at Henry and then back at Jason who is unconscious

This is a lot to take in as you breathe out

"Can I be excused?"

"Yes, you can, Y/N"

You muttered a quiet thank you as you directed yourself towards your chambers

You cupped your mouth as you try to replay of what just happened, Henry watches you go with a look of worry on his eyes

As much as you wanted to handle this on your own

You can't help but to need someone beside you

You want him and you need him

You need Eddie

The four men, rest and build a camp as Eddie always

Always looking at your castle from afar

The journey that they're taking, they're in the middle of it, he's almost there

"You know she won't appear if you look at it more often, right?" Gareth swirls the ladle on the pot that he's cooking soup for dinner

He scoffs as he sits on the rock with arms crossed

"I'm just worried for her, man" Eddie deeply sighs

"Jason is such a dick, I swear" Gareth brings up the interaction that happened before

"But we haven't met Henry yet, we have no idea who he is, maybe he is not awful like him" Jeff suggests

"That young man has taken over her financial services" Enzo recalls as he cleans his weapons

"I take back what I said, they're both assholes" Jeff shakes his head to Enzo's remark

"Here, you have to eat- I know she'll be fine" he hands him a bowl of soup

"I know that she can but I just wished that I was there with her through all of it"

Gareth smiles at him

Eddie is confused at it as he starts to slurp the broth at the edges of the rim of his bowl

He swallows "What?"

"Nothing, I just- you always seem so serious and now it looks like because of her you had the another reason to live"

He tug up a smile as he says "As much you're a pain in the ass, but, yeah she is"

"You both know we could hear to what you're both talking about, right?" Jeff speaks as he pours himself another bowl

Enzo chuckles as he drinks from his cup

"Stop ruining the moment, man!" Gareth yells out to him as all of them shared a laugh

The firepit smoked off as the sunrise shines through out the area

"She's getting married!"

"To whom?"

"Henry!"

"Isn't he like too old for the poor girl?"

Eddie registered the sounds of the townspeople that is too close for him to hear

Good thing, there's a bunch of bushes around their camp

He sits up as he listens at them

"When did you hear it?"

"Just today, I think they're preparing the wedding soon enough"

Eddie buried his face with the palm of his hands as he runs his fingers through his hair

He looked at his companions, who are still asleep as he breathes deeply

Why would he feel disappointed?

He mustn't feel this way since

You're not even his

Maybe, your kindness and sweet demeanor towards him, he misinterpreted it

That's where it dawned on him, it hit him like a ton of bricks, his heart dropped when he finally comes to the realization

He loves you

He feels that he is running out of time, it's like he is trying to reach you but now he can't help but to feel that you're slowly slipping out of his touch

He remembers what you told to Jeff that you're about to married to him, but you didn't want to, you clearly told all of them that you don't want to be a part of it

But, you still don't want it until now? right?

No, he will not let the other people get into him, it mustn't be true

He let them get into his head and his thoughts

He will come and get you

He stood up and wakes Gareth

Gareth groaned as he uses his arms to propped himself up "Wha- What is it?"

"We're losing her, let's go"

Henry is startled by your presence, his face falls when he saw you so upset, watching you very closely with concern as he follows you behind your back

Enraged by the news, you entered the main room as you pushed the doors wide open with anger rushing through your veins

"Jason, I have the bone to pick with you, what was that about?!?"

If doesn't that make you feel mad even more, he is sitting in your father's chair

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, princess" he acts like he didn't do anything

God- you want to scratch his smug face off

"Oh, I know you're the main reason why everybody talks about it"

"About what?"

"You're the one who fucking spread it!"

Henry who is unaware of it all, he looks at you and to Jason who just shrugs at him

When Jason didn't gave you answers and that adds more to the fuel that you're having right now

You feel so freaking on fire that you could explode, you turn to Henry still having that frown on your face

"Are you on this? Did you have something to do with it?"

"Wha- What?! No- I don't even know what you're implying to"

"Your most trusted fucking dipshit soldier, he told everyone that we agreed on the arrangement which we're clearly not!"

The last lines you shout it out to Jason who is so smugly couldn't careless to what you're dealing with

Henry facepalmed as he says "Jason, what the hell?!?"

You lift your gown as you exit the room, you want to scream

"Is the only way to get her controlled!"

"Controlled?!? Do you have any idea to what you just started?!?

He scoffs "This isn't supposed to be big deal anymore, they already knew all about it and I just confirmed it"

"She is not ready! Let's give her some time"

"There is no time!"

Henry put his fingers on the bridge of his nose, he looked back seeing you aren't being there anymore

That's what he thought

You're hiding behind closed doors, listening to their argument

He exasperatingly sighs as he begins "I cared for her and because of you she can't even trust me completely because I'm with you!" He points at himself

"You thought me being drunk last night- I wouldn't know to what you just did to me? Okay, fine let's see she'll grow on you like you told me before" Jason pushes his chair back and stood up as he walks towards to Henry

"How did she handle it when she finds out that you had powers?"

You tensed as the memory flashes back at you

Henry sighs in defeat as he couldn't fire back at him

He chuckles "See? That's what I thought"

"It- It wouldn't change anything" Henry still believes that you can

He knows that someday you'll believe him

You couldn't bear to hear more of it so you walk away

"It wouldn't be the same once the truth is out"

Henry leaves him as he shuts the doors angrily

"We have to get inside here" Enzo opens the door that leads the way towards the dungeon

"Seriously, man? The dungeon?" Gareth roams his eyes over the prisoner's cells

"It's the only easy way to get inside" Enzo whispers as he ducks his down at the passing royal guards

"He knows what he was doing, let's just get on with it" Eddie told them as they went all in

It's nail-biting to get caught, but they managed to get further more

When the four of them passed the other prisoners

There's someone in particular that caught his attention

He looks more closely as he looked at the elder man who is asleep

Why do he felt that his heart is telling that he knew this man

He heard the clicks of heels that says someone is coming

He hides himself quickly, he looks over that his friends already far left ahead of him

He's about to leave until....

He heard your voice

You mentioned a name

The voice that he missed so much

He wants to hear it all the time

The tendency is very strong to make him self appear right then and there, if you could only see his eyes twinkle

He took a step but someone else is with you

"Y/N, what are you doing here?"

You came for him because you had no one else to lean on

"I was- just checking if anyone is doing their job"

He hummed "That's my job, princess, leave that to me"

Wayne stirred from his sleep as his eyes adjusts at the figure before him

His eyes sparked that he saw you in there, but you can't do anything to talk to him

Because of him, Henry

You glanced at Wayne who is directly looking at you

"Sire, there's a witness that someone came out of the portal"

You placed your hand over your mouth trying to be subtle not to react at the report that the guard just told Henry

Eddie went out? To look for you?

"What?"

Henry take a one last look at you "Duty calls, you sure you'll be fine by yourself here?"

"I will be so glad if you're not snooping around me so much" you think to yourself

"Yes, I'll be good"

Henry nods as he leaves by the door

You sigh as you kneeled down in front of the bars that Wayne's caged in

"Wayne, I'm sorry, I didn't knew that you're here- I wasn't aware that you've been here all along"

You can tell from his eyes, he is like candle that's melting- he's tired

"it's alright, Y/N, you don't have to feel sorry for me"

You turn your back and you saw the key that laying on the table "I have you to get out of here"

You inserted the key but he stopped you to unlock it

"Y/N, I'll survive but you have to leave"

"I can't just leave you here again, no- please there's so many things that I have to tell you!"

"What is it that you're trying to tell me?"

"It's Ed-"

Wayne placed a finger in the middle of his lips as he shushes you

You overheard Jason and one of his guards coming closer

"Where is she?"

"I think she's in the dungeon, sire"

"You let her in there?!? She must've been talking to-" Jason grunts as he quickly picks up his feet to get on to the other room

You hide yourself on the other side, you almost shrieked at the hooded figure next to you, so, you ran away from it- too freaked out at the person that you bumped

You almost saw him

You almost reunited

You almost met the eyes of the person that you're trying to get back to

Eddie could've stopped you but before he can do it, you already scurrying away from him

He followed you to where you went but he couldn't find you

"Eddie! Where have you been?" Gareth pulled him back in the corner to where no one can see them

"it's Y/N- she scurried away because it was dark inside she didn't even realized it was me"

"You saw her?" Jeff gasps as he looked over at the halls for you

Enzo sighs as he rests his back at the wall

"I-I heard him"

"Who?"

"Henry"

"Did you saw his face?"

"Not clearly, but you we're right he wasn't like Jason but Y/N is so wary of him"

"What else?"

"She was talking to someone, someone she called Wayne-"

"Wayne? Wayne is still alive?" Enzo held him by the shoulders, the three young men are astounded to his sudden action

"Yes, he is locked up in there" Eddie uses his thumb directing at the dungeon

"You'll look for Y/N, I'll handle Wayne" Enzo implies as he headed at the dungeon

"Let's go, boys" Eddie nods

You closed the door behind locked it as you catching up with your breath as you pant from running

You eyes land on the documents that are scattered all over your father's desk

You walked forward picked up the papers, you feel sick to your stomach

Jason, he forged a marriage document of you and Henry

Much to your dismay and out of anger, you crumpled the paper that you're holding, you throw the rest of the papers and push everything out of the desk, you screamed harder as you fell down on to knees

You breakdown and cry for the first time, you really don't want to be like this

But, you can't help but to release everything that is killing inside of you

You're too enervated by all of this

You went out of the room, you have to confront him once and for all

"Look!" Jeff points at you as they hide

"It's Y/N!" Gareth whisper-shouts

"She looks-" Jeff frowns at the look of your face

"Distraught" Eddie is disturbed by your state

Wrath and Despair are nestled in your enchanting face as you stomping around as you look for someone

If things aren't like this, he would've worshipped you of how beautiful you look

"Let's follow her" Eddie says as they tailed behind you

"Jason!"

"Hmm?"

"You better explain yourself!" you held up the now crumpled contract in front of him

"What- what the hell did you do to it?" He snatched the paper away from your hands as you scoffed

"What did I do? You should be punished for your crimes, Jason!"

"Why are you so stubborn? I am saving you from your debt!"

"You clearly missing the point here- don't change the fucking subject, I don't want any marriage!"

"You don't have anybody anymore, princess, you have no choice just face it"

"Whatever it is that you're trying to do, I will deny it!"

"Is it because of that boy isn't it?"

Jeff and Gareth looked at Eddie who is fiery watching you ranting with Jason

Don't crack

Don't let him see through you

"He has nothing to do with this-"

"You're so foolish, Y/N"

"No, I am not-" you're seething and you start seeing red as you move closer to him

He wanted to say something to make you even more furious as you didn't let him cut you off this time

"He held my life within his hands, Jason, you don't know anything what you just done to me- he created everything I am"

Eddie's eyes softens at your words, he tilted his head at you

You care for him as much as he cares for you?

You tear the fake marriage contract in front him into pieces as he watches in horror

You leave him at that as he throw words at you and you didn't even care to what he was saying

As you continue to walk, the same hooded man earlier hold you by the arms and pinned your back on the wall as you protest

"Quiet down, it's me"

You calmed as you heard the familiar voice

The man before you, he takes off his hood as his eyes yearns for you

The words caught up in your throat, you feel lighter as a feather as you take him in

Your eyes are rimmed with flooding tears

"Eddie?"

[juliesmac]

@kiwiplaetzchen for the character sheet, @vienguinn for the (lovely) artwork

FINALLY, I bring you the finished character sheet of Valerie! and just in time for her birthday!! so, happy birthday to the silly character I put so much thought into>:)

depending on how things progress in the future this will probably be edited over time to add new things/change things!

I figured since it is her birthday, I should technically introduce y’all to her some more! so, without further ado,

Name :: Valerie June Pine

Age :: sixteen +

Nickname(s) :: pinecone, junebug, junie

Gender & Pronouns :: female, she/her

Birthday :: June 15th, 1874

Nationality :: British / Born in Westminster, London, UK.

Zodiac Sign :: Gemini

Languages Spoken :: English, French.

Hobbies: herbology, journaling and writing, reading about dragons and various rare creatures, playing the piano (but only knowing 2 songs), exploring and going on adventures to learn more. she enjoys divination and a good prank

Favourite Colour(s) :: Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Beige

Favourite Place(s) :: Hogsmeade, The Forbidden Forest, London, Warm summer afternoons

Favourite Food(s) :: Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Pumpkin Pie, Strawberry Jam on toast, Freshly baked bread, Chicken

Least Favourite(s) :: Custard, Rhubarb, anything sour!!

Favourite Drink(s) :: Cinnamon Tea, Pumpkin Spice Tea, Orange Juice

Best Friend(s) :: Sebastian Sallow, Ominis Gaunt, Natsai Onai, Poppy Sweeting, Garreth Weasley, Imelda Reyes, Amit Thakkar, Adelaide Oakes, Leander Prewett, Evangeline Bardsley, Nellie Oggspire, Grace Pinch-Smedley, Nerida Roberts

Love Interest(s) :: Poppy Sweeting, Ominis Gaunt

Other Friends :: Anne Sallow, Samantha Dale, Cressida Blume, Lucan Brattleby, Everett Clopton, Astoria Crickett, Deek, Sophronia Franklin, Richard Jackdaw, Zenobia Noke, Mahendra Pehlwaan, Arthur Plummly, Sirona Ryan, Scrope, Professor Fig, Professor Weasley

Enemies :: Ranrok, Victor Rookwood, The Poachers

About her family ::

Father - Michael Wolf Pine (Diseased)

Mother - Mary-Anne Peony Pine (Diseased)

Family Background - Living most of her life surrounded by muggles was primarily her mothers choice, and throughout her early years, she was not introduced to magic or the wizarding world. Her mother aimed to keep her out of wizarding world affairs for as long as she possibly could, due to her beliefs that her own kind was too dangerous for her pure-blooded child. Because of this, they stayed in London and surrounded themselves with muggles to keep themselves hidden.

Mary-Anne’s entire life she felt more drawn to beasts, and spent most of her life only surrounded by plants rather than with people. That was, however, until she met Valerie’s father.

It was fact, that wizarding families were more prone to losing younger family members. Their inability to control their own magic made them noticeable, and in turn vulnerable to Muggle witch-hunters.

Valerie’s fathers work studying muggles was often frowned upon by his magical peers. In the 17th century, a time where Valarie’s parents were mainly raised & surrounded by fear due to the persecution of wizarding children and adults, muggles would often attempt to force witches and wizards to perform magic for their needs. And because of this wizards and witches decided to retaliate, some— even decided to harm muggles . Due to these events, there was (and still is) a heavy distrust between wizarding kind and muggles, and vice versa. Some wizards even considered starting a war with the muggles because of all the witch trials and executions. Stigma still lies around muggles and their past hatred for wizardkind, but Valerie’s parents trust muggles more than wizarding kind because of their lack of power.

Of course, with time comes curiosity, and by the age of 11 Valerie was no longer naive enough to believe that her father was really just working an office job. Of course, she pursued learning magic in secret from her mother regardless. Valerie found ways to read her mothers old herbology journals, to access her fathers filing cabinets in his home office, where she read about the ministry of magic and found a copy of the daily prophet. Nonetheless, soon it became too hard to hide the fact that she was a witch in front of muggles.

So for the safety of her family, Valerie's mother reluctantly they decided to move to Godric's Hollow, a quaint village in the West Country of England. It was a small community, which centered on a village square with only a church, a post office, a pub, and a few retail shops (Including one she would eventually own). It was the exact kind of quiet they needed, even if Valerie’s mother did not completely agree. 

Her mother eventually had opened a retail herbology store in Godric's Hollow, that primarily served as a shop to sell ingredients for potions, etc. But she also housed quite a few magical beasts in the barn behind the shop.

Death Date: 1890, September 2nd. Poachers, who happened to be passing through their small town, walked into her shop and insisted on taking the beasts off her hands for a ‘discounted price’. Her mother insisted against it, stood her ground, and made it clear she would not be giving away any of her beasts today, and especially not to them. As a result, on their way out of town the poachers proceeded to set the barn on fire. While the barn and the connecting store burnt down in a fiery blaze, her mother ran inside the barn to rescue as many beasts as she could. When she did not return after they saw most of the beasts escape, Valerie's father ran inside to save her mother as well. Neither survived the tragic incident.

Because of her parents death, she decided to take whatever money she could make selling their old property, and use it towards transferring to Hogwarts to start her 5th year and begin learning magic. Revenge drives her, and she will do anything to learn magic so she can wipe out as many poachers as she can.

[akai-joou]

I WANT YOU 🫵 TO USE THIS MOMENT TO GO OFF ON ANY OCS YOU HAVE

ANY????? OH GOSH OKAY OKAY UH. I'm super, super into TWST right now and constantly work on my ocs from there along with my friend, Kiki!

I'll go off about Grace for now, because she's the one with most development at the moment! And I have a bit of art that I've commissioned of her ♥♥

Reference Sheet by @marisashinx ♥♥

This here is Grace! Originally, I made her based off of Aurora/Rapunzel and wanted to ship her with Silver. She came as a concept of a Yuu but... then I went back and decided [What if I based her off of Prince Philip's sword and gave her purpose in the story?]

I have a BA in English and one of my favorite topics when I studied was of course the Hero's Journey along with the different ways you can retell a story. My Research paper was an analysis on Disney's Cinderella and what it made it the tale that we know today by comparing the earliest recording of it and both of Disney's movies.

ANYWAYS. I decided to twist Grace from Prince Philip's Sword of Truth but with the addition of bringing in The Sword in the Stone.

While the sword in the stone IS excalibur, if you go by Arthurian Legends there are.... various origin tales (because history mixes with fiction and documentation and exageration,,,, shout out to Lancelot being Malory's OC). SO I WENT WHY NOT ! AFTER ALL TWST CHARACTERS ARE MADE BY MIXING DISNEY CHARACTER TRAITS! (im talking about how deuce is absolutely twisted from jim hawkins as well, i will die on this hill)

But, I wanted to put her with Silver, you know? So, I made her upbringing a mirror of his.

She's the daughter of Duke Lanclos (Lancelot). The Lanclos family has served the Royal Family for centuries, the head of the family always being the King's right hand in battle simply because of the family's UM. I took a page from Idia's UM and how it's like... generational? So, their first first born is the one with the UM that allows them to use a weapon as [Excalibur], but only once per weapon. I guess she could use a tooth pick and cast her UM on it as a weapon HAH.

But the thing is, that until Grace all the other first borns had been boys that were trained to be a commander. So... the families quickly decide that to ensure the next heir be born with the UM that she should be married off to the crown prince as soon as it is possible for her to.... yeah. I place this about 300/400 years before the in-game plot is going down; so it's roughly around the same time the Fae War is going on in Briar Valley?

There are light/day fae and magical humans around. Important solely because you know... sword in the stone... Merlin (Ambrose's ancestor or something). When Grace is around 3-4 a mini war breaks down and he decides to send her off to live with an "aquantaince" of his in the woods. They can get another heir to the throne, but they can't get another sword.

That's when she meets the Lady of the Lake (Thea), a day/light fae who takes her in as a favor to her friend and raises her while training her with the sword. [This here is a direct reference to Lancelot being raised by the Lady of the Lake in some versions, but also a direct parallel to Lilia raising Silver].

Years pass by and Grace never does call Thea "mother" instead choosing to refer to her as "My Lady". By her 12th birthday her magic and UM were blooming, but she doesn't quite master her UM until a bit later. By the time she's 16, Thea gets a letter from the Duchy informing her that a war has broken out and the sword is required to join in battle simply because they know she's been training her. Thea can't even begin to imagine that this child that she sees as her daughter either die in war or live long enough to be simply... made a wife and left to raise children.

On the dawn of Grace's 17th birthday she (Thea) makes the decision to place her in a slumber at the bottom of the lake next to their cottage. [Referencing how Excalibur came from the lake]. She uses a generous amount of her own magic to ensure that her daughter remains protected in slumber where no one can find her. She then shifts her visage to resemble Grace's and joins the battle while pretending to be her.

Now, while Grace IS the sword that comes from the lake, what about the sword in the stone? The sword in the stone is a sword that is used in battle by the Lanclos Family, a family heirloom of sorts and most likely the only weapon able to be used more than once with the UM. It is however made out of iron, which is a fae's weakness (Maleficent reference). So, not only is she low on magic because of the spell she used earlier, but she's also dwindling because of the visage AND burning her hands with this sword. Her visage flickers once or twice and then faces to reveal the revered Lady of the Lake that's only been heard of by word of mouth.

She glances around and decides enough is enough while stabbing the Lanclos Sword onto the ground casting a curse on these lands. Only the true Lanclos heir will be able to pull this sword out, only she will be able to bring prosperity and fertility back. Only she (Thea) knows where the girl is and she passes on with this knowledge.

And so... 300-400 years pass by with these lands barren and nature reclaiming the cottage, surrounding the lake. On one night, a girl wakes up gasping for air and clawing up towards the surface only to see the moon shine down on her as the cold air bites her skin. She manages to drag herself out of the lake, to step around as a comforting presence follows her towards the cottage. Her memory is... more hazy than she would like. Her arms are crossed over herself and her fingers hurt as she rips folliage away from the door to the cottage only to step in and find nothing.

On her way out, she steps on an envelope. An invitation, she looks back up and a horse-drawn carriage is waiting for her.

OH I COULD GO ON FOREVER ABOUT GRACE SINCE THAT'S JUST HER BACKGROUND, IT DISREGARDS THE CEREMONY AND EVERYTHING SHDFIBSDFILABS BUT PLEASE ASK MORE AND I'LL TELL MORE!!!!

[scotianostra]

St Ninian’s Manse.

I've not had decent walk around Leith for a while so I remedied that today. My first point of interest is the former church, nestled amongst a cluster of modern buildings at Quayside Street off Sandport Place, while you can see the steeple, which I shal come back to later, easily enough from further afield, you won't find the Manse in full until you are almost on top of it.

The buildings origins lie in a chapel that established in the late 15th century, was the home of North Leith Parish Church, playing a vital role in the development of the area. It's importance is evident as it stands near the head of the first bridge to North Leith over The Water of Leith.

ln 1493 Robert Bellenden, Abbot of Holyrood, founded and endowed a chantry chapel. The chapel fell into ruin after the Reformation, it was restored in 1595, and in 1606 became officially the church of a new and independent parish of North Leith. The Statistical Account of Scotland states both the church and manse are as old as the times of popery, but they have undergone a variety of repairs; including a considerable one in the year 1736, when it was in a great measure rebuilt." In the early 19th century, when a new parish church had been provided on another site, the old one was let to other congregations; and in 1825, when the last of these left, the place was converted into a granary, which in its turn has been rebuilt as a mill, pics of it as a mill in the 1950-60's can be found by clicking here

The most impressive part of The Manse, to me anyway, is the aforementioned spire. If you look at it closely you will see it is made of wood. This is Leith's and so Edinburgh's sole surviving 17th-century timber steeple.

The entrance to the stair, now covered by an extension, is dated 1675 as seen on the lintel above the door. Another interesting feature is the inscription above an archway that says;

BLESED AR THEY YAT HEIR YE VORD OF GOD AND KEIP IT/ LVK XI 1600.

It comes from the New Testament bible by Luke, and quite literally translates to;

 “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

The charity Scottish Historic Buildings Trust restored the building from 1996 to 2002 along with the adjacent Quayside Mills, creating desirable waterfront accommodation and office space. Much of the interior, from what I can see having trawled through a fair amount of pictures, retains a certain amount of it's charm, with many of the timbers visible throughout the building.

Some debate has gone on, due to the alterations over the centuries, whether this or Lambs House, a short walk away, on the south of the bridge is the oldest building in Leith.

Leith is usually thought of as the port or dock area of Edinburgh. It was not, however, part of Edinburgh until 1920. Between 1833 and 1920 Leith was an independent burgh.  Before this Edinburgh town council was able to control Leith through being the feudal superior of the land there. Many of the citizen s to this day are fiercely proud of their old status, calling themselves Leithers, rather than saying they are from Edinburgh, it is apparent on the poem below I found on the Leith Forever web page, it was written in 1919 and appeared in Andrew Grant’s collection of poems from the Leith Observer 1914 -1920.

Ye folks a’ Leith, are ye a’ sleepin’

Whilst Reekie’s cheils are busy reapin’

Braw schemes to hae ye in their keepin’ For

evermair?

Arouse yoursel’s an’ dae the sweepin’

O’ your ain stair!

If ye yoursel’s wad save some siller,

Ye’d better tak’ in hand the tiller

Auld Reekie means to “droon the miller,” An’ sink

the mill;

For loaded debts noo fairly fill her-

They’re ‘yont her skill.

The debter’s grawvit’s rooned her neck,

An’ just tae save hersel’ frae wreck,

She offer ye her hindmaist cheque,

Frae some dark source.

But in nae bank, gi’en bow or beck,

Wad e’er endorse.

Keep clear o’ yon West-eny crew

O’ their “fine airs” hae nocht ado,

A keen East windblaws thro’ and thro’

Their mim-moo’ed graces;

Jist skin it aff, an’ then ye’ view

Some cranks in places!

Tak’ heed from Glesca’s swollen size;

Hoo burghs aince pride did prize

Lie low this day, an’ a’ their sighs

Speak o’ taxation.

This lesson ye maun ne’er despise

O’ ruination!

But rouse ye, toonsmen, ane an’ a’

An’ gie your pipes a warlike blaw.

Let ilka patriot in a raw

Tak’ up his stand;

Auld Reekie’s seekin’ for oor fa’

An’ wants command.

Ye craftsmen o’ oor ancient toun,

Your he’rts I ken are unco soun’,

It’s time ilka ane o’us marched roun’

Oor ain auld border;

An’ paced oor boundaries up an’ doon

In martial order.

The “honest toun” ayont oot by,

(Whaur danger’s likewise drawin’ nigh)

Has lately bade her burghers hie

To “ride the marches”;

Let Leith wi’ her auld neebor vie,

‘Neath hame-mad arches!

Let’ a’ meet at the Giant’s Brae

An’ mak the auld Port bricht an’ gay,

Turn oot in sold, massed array,

Mak’ Reekie quiver;

On each a badge, an’ let it say-

“Auld Leith for ever!”

Restalrig - 30 August 1919,

Next up I will post pics and history of the more well known, Lambs House.

[musingsofahistorymajor]

YO YOU GOT ANY COOL WOMAN'S HISTORY FACTS ALSO HISTORY IS POG LIKE I GOT A LECTURE WORTH OF STUFF ABOUT JAMES CAGNEY

Oh my god SO MANY! Where do I even start!! Here is a quick and short rundown of some of my favorite womens history facts:

Women in the military during ww1 and ww2 is one of my favorite subjects. Let's talk about that for a second:

Women served in every branch of the U.S. military throughout both world war 1 and world war 2

Did you know women served in the US Army and as such were stationed in every front of the war during WWII?

Female switchboard operators served in the trenches of France during ww1.

The most feared bombers in ww2 were Russian women flying wooden planes and physically throwing the bombs out

Women were the ones to help break enemy codes

Women helped planned D-Day

Russian snipers were fierce badasses.

We have computers thanks to women. Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper, Hedy Lamar, etc.

DNA's double helix form was discovered by a woman. Rosalind Franklin.

Women got us to space by performing complex mathematical calculations by hand during launches.

Science Fiction was started by a woman. Mary Shelley.

One of the most fearsome pirates ever was a woman. Ching Shih. She was undefeated and was one of the few pirates who retired.

Hypatia was the last last librarian of the Library of Alexandria and is said to be the first female mathematician

The first female historian was Anna Comnena of the Byzantine empire

Sybil Ludington was a 16 year old girl who joined the famous "Midnight Riders" and rode from Putnam County, New York to Danbury, Connecticut to warn of advancing British troops.

Hatshepsut is the the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. She was the second historically confirmed female pharaoh, after Sobekneferu

Deborah Sampson was a woman who served in the army during the American Revolution. She disguised herself as a man and served admirably

We wouldn't have airplanes without Katherine Wright who made sure her brothers had everything they needed. She ran their family shop, booked speaking engagements for them, was basically their marketing director and made sure these two idiots didn't die from starvation.

Agent 355 was a female spy in the Culper Ring during the American Revolution.

Virne “Jackie” Mitchell, a pitcher, was the first woman in professional baseball. During an exhibition game, she struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

The first novel. As in the very first novel. Written by a woman. Murasaki Shikibu who wrote the Tale of Genji in 1000 AD

The earliest recorded female physician was Merit Ptah, a doctor in ancient Egypt who lived around 2700 B.C. Many historians believe she may be the first woman recorded by name in the history of all of the sciences, making her achievement all the more impressive

Victoria Woodhull ran for president in 1872.

Julie d’Aubigny was a French bisexual opera-singing sword fighter from 17th-century France. A total badass.

Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman to go in space.

Stephanie Kwolek was an American chemist who invented Kevlar

Lyudmila Pavlichenko is the most successful female sniper in human history. Initially barred entry into the Red Army to due to her sex, Lyudmila would go on to rack up 309 confirmed kills in WWII. Her terrifying skills as a sniper and impressive kill count earned her the nickname “Lady Death” from her German enemies.

Nancy Wake who killed an SS Officer with her bare hands

Khutulun was the great-great-granddaughter of legendary conqueror Genghis Khan. Taught the inner workings of military life by her father, Khutulun became a skilled and powerful warrior. For her marriage, she proposed a challenge: any man that could best her in a wrestling match would have the honor of taking her hand in marriage. If they lost, they would have to give her a horse.

Boudicca was a queen of the Iceni tribe of Celtic Britons, who led an uprising against the conquering forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60 or 61.

Honestly I can go on forever. There are so many amazing and interesting women in history and I can't learn enough about them. This is only a very small list and a condensed version of their stories. I highly recommend looking into each of them more.

[swxxtsxcchxrine]

High By the Beach

+synopsis; you’d never been one to use your beauty as a means to revenge however hearing your sisters shrill cries as the net was brought to shore, had you thinking otherwise. you were going to find that filthy pirate who killed your sister and take his heart; literally.

+content/warnings; 17th century-18th century, long haired gojo, top!femreader x bottom!gojo, manipulation, violence, death, dark themes, titties, nipple play, injury detail, hallucinations, revenge, torture?, dark romance??, filthy filthy smut, overstimulation, mind break, subspace, teasing, handjob, edging, loads of cum, cowgirl, mating press, cunnilingus, slight pain kink, gojo cries :(((

+pairings; Pirate!Gojo x Siren!FemReader

The moon shone brightly, navigating the white haired pirate along the stormy and agitated seas. The hairs on the back on his neck were stood up yet he ignored the eerie and sinister cloud that hung around the air. His compass was flicking about, showing all kinds of directions. There was no rain yet the clouds were dark and angry. “Cap’in, she’s all set for sail, hopefully this will all pass over soon!” a limping shadow emerged from the docks waving his hand. “Aye aye!” the captain sighed in discontent, furrowing his brows in concern.

He looked down at his map muttering to himself. He remembered he wasn’t here to hunt, but to conquer land and bring back treasure for his queen, and the royal family of course. Lightening struck the angered seas ahead as the crew men shouted over the deafening thunder.

The men moved in tandem, pulling and tugging at ropes in all directions as Gojo lifted his eyepatch to get a closer look at his crew. The men were all sweaty despite the bitter cold. Sweat from hard work or fear, it was hard to tell.

Gojo had been doing this since he were a young lad, his father being one the the greatest pirates to ever grace the country. Gojo was one more country and siren heart away from claiming the title for himself. It was a sick and twisted way of him showing his father that he was better. That Gojo would be more than what everyone thought he’d be.

But in truth, Gojo wasn’t proving this to anyone but himself. It was a game he liked to play, betting his life away because deep down he knew he’d come out triumphant.

A sudden thud from the bottom of the ship broke him away from his thoughts. And then another, and another. Thuds from all sides of the ship got loader and more vigorous. “Mermaids!” one of the men shouted loud enough for everyone on bored to hear. No, not mermaids. Sirens.

Gojo looked down at his map, silently praying he wasn’t where he thought he was. Sirens were incredibly territorial. His balance was knocked very quickly as his throat became dry and the thudding became angrier.

A piercing shriek shot through the air as his breath became shallow.

“The sirens are gonna sink our boat!” one of the crew men yelled.

Silence.

Eerie silence over came the sea.

The storm had seemed to settle and the thudding had stopped.

“You think they’re-”, the crew mates voice was interrupted by an alluring voice calling out.

“Don’t fall for it, men! It’s a trap!” Gojo yelled out. His years of experience granted him a sort of immunity however the same couldn’t be said for his crew. A few had already jumped over board and others were nearly their death. A symphony of splashes and brief cries resounded around the stormy night air as lightening struck the sky.

Gojo muttered in his tired and hazy state. Something he did often when tired or overstimulated. His eyes became heavy and nakedness began to overtake him. He tried.

He really tried to fight it off. But it was too late. He found himself jumping off the vessels edge into the jaws of death below.

Who knew what was waiting for him, was far worse than any death…

☽

He awoke, his bare feet subconsciously playing among the warm sand below. He squinted as the sun light flashed in his eyes. Gojo winced in pain as he struggled to get up. His whole body was aching and sore.

There was one key thing he hadn’t acknowledged, however.

His lack of clothing.

The man was laying down butt naked on an island in the middle of nowhere. With no way of getting back home. “Gojo? Gojo! Oh, there you are…How many times do I have to tell you? The waters are dangerous…” an alluring voice beckoned him to a small cottage surrounded by palm trees slowly swaying in the breeze. “Are you alright?” you stared, concerned. Your figure emerged from the trees around, draped in nothing but a white linen cloth, covering only your most intimate parts.

He sucked in a heavy breath, watching as your form glided towards him like an angel.

Was Gojo in heaven?

He watched as the cloth only clung to you in the best places while allowing the rest of your body breathe. You were like a painting. A painting of how the Greeks imagined angels in the heavens above.

You held out a soft and delicate hand for him to take in his own. He didn't know what to expect, but didn't expect your hand to be cold to the touch. He let out a soft gasp. He wanted nothing more than to climb in your arms.

“Yes, I-I’m good..” he cleared his throat before straightening himself up with a wince, maintaining his composure. “Let me help you, my love,” you giggle moving forward to help the indecent man. He smiled, softly. Something about your presence brought him great comfort. He felt as if it was ok to be vulnerable around you.

"What happened?" he finally asked, breaking the silence around the two of you. You gently placed down the bowl you were drying and stared out from the window into the ocean outside, watching the sunset and the waves crash among themselves.

You turned around to face the love of your life. "You went to the ocean again...screaming about how you needed to...get back," you paused, before staring lovingly into his eyes; "Satoru we spoke about this already. I think...I thinking it's time we think about heading back to the main land," you sighed.

"No!" the man was now stood, chest heaving. You giggled softly, watching as his eyes trailed down to your breast. "Satoru, my eyes are up here..." you purred teasingly. "I mean, if you think it's for the best that we stay hear, so be it," you turned back around to continue your share of the chores.

It was cute, watching the man who loved you dearly, crumble into nothing simply watching you as you did what you did best. He watched intently as your hips swayed, almost hypnotising him. Gojo's body moved on it's own, his hands coming around your waist, breath heavy and hot against your neck.

"Satoru...What are you doing?" you chuckled with malicious intent.

"Shhhh..." he spun you around, a smirk etched on his lips.

"I'm not happy with you, Satoru. You disobeyed me. And for that, you deserve to get punished..." you sneered with allure.

His cock was hard and throbbing in your hands as he cried out for mercy. This was the fourth time in a row you edged him. Refusing him sweet release. "If you're good, I'll let you cum in me," his eyes rolled back as you spat on his hot tip. "Please! I won't do it again!" he whined. "Please I just wanna cum..." he slurred, drool seeping from the corner of his open mouth. "Have you learnt your lesson?" you asked sternly, still stroking his dick. His mouth opened wider as if to reply, but only a small squeak came out.

His eyes shut as his brows furrowed. A sharp slap came in contact with his cheek as he gasped, fresh hot tears streaming down his face. "Yes! Fuck...nghhh!" he moaned out. He whimpered harshly in your ear, before it was interrupted by a whine as you retracted your arm from his hardened cock. "Please, I wan' to cummm," he sobbed. "Don't worry, baby," you finger trailed down his trembling lip.

You straddled his hips, bringing your wet cunt over his aching cock. He stared, eager and hungry to feel your warm, sopping walls envelope him in pleasure. Gojo's stare intensified as he watched you sink down slowly on his cock. He let out a long groan finally feeling you bottom out. He reached the deepest parts of your pussy, making your belly bulge.

You needed a minute to gather yourself. The stretch was intense, making you loose your breath in under a second. His hands found a way to your hips, squeezing the fat. You took this as initiative to start grinding your hips on him. You squeezed around him, your juices leaking down his balls. A sloppy mess of your slick and his precum pooled on the sheets. Satoru breathlessly moaned out as you found a steady rhythm that brought the both of you close to the first orgasm of the night.

Gojo moaned out your name as his hands found leverage on your tits, playing with your nipples. You cunt subconsciously tightened around his dick as he squished your boobs together. "Fuck, nghhhh, Y/N!" his hips buckled into you as his eyes stung with more tears. He came with one final grunt, his eyes glued shut as he let out a small whine and a string of thank you's.

His warm cum filled you up nice and well, as you continued to bounce up and down on the d, milking him dry. His eyes suddenly opened, watching as you worked his sensitive dick. Satoru grunted, before flipping you over onto your back. You gasped, before smirking. "You're fun," you exhaled. He payed no mind to your comment, before bringing your legs to your head.

The new position offered deeper strokes to your cunt. You cried out as he delivered slow strokes. Your hands squeezed his biceps as his ponytail became loose and his hair fell down his shoulders. Satoru watched as your face contorted and changed because of the pleasure he was giving you.

His hips rutted into yours, his hardened cock reaching the innermost deepest parts of your cunt.

It had been a while since you've been fucked this good. Usually the men you bring here, take what they're given, the take and beg for more. That was the true nature of men. But Satoru? Satoru knew how to give women pleasure. His cock ploughing in and out, making your eyes roll and mouth drool.

If it was another man, surely you'd rip his heart out for even attempting to gain control, but there was something different about the white haired pirate.

A particular thrust, had you reeling, immediately gasping. Satoru steadied his hips momentarily, "This is where you're weak, right?" he smiled almost cruelly.

Maybe, you ought to let him live longer. After all, he doesn't know who you really are, or what you really are.

You barely had time to reply as he pressed down on your stomach, feeling his cock reach your g-spot with ease. "Fuck fuck fuck!" you cried out. His eyes had a certain madness behind them. Something you recognised all too well.

"Satoru, that's it! Keep going for me.." you slipped out a loud squeal as he continued to abuse your sweet pussy. He could tell you were close, your cunt getting sloppier and tighter. Your eyes were glossed over and you were delirious to say the least.

Your eyes rolled back, your breath coming to a halt and legs spasming as you finally came, juicing gushing around his cock and pelvis. "Oh my Goddd!" you whined out, still over coming your high. You must've been gripping too tight, Satoru's second load came deep inside of your cunt, causing you to wrap your legs around his torso.

Too fucked out to comprehend anything, you didn't realise as Satoru pulled out and lowered himself so he was face to face with your leaking cunt. You shuddered feeling his cool breath against your twitching hole.

He wasted no time, before his mouth wrapped around your clit, fingers pushing the creampie back in. You moaned out, too dizzy to complain but too sensitive to not squirm. Your hips bucked in his mouth as he ate you out. He moaned out. This was fucking nasty. Eating his own cum out of your pussy? Something he himself would've never imagined doing, yet he wasn't complaining. You were sweet enough to let him cum inside so he might as well thank you.

His long hair draped over his red hot ears as your moans increased in pitch as you came all over his face, gaping hole pushing out more cum. He sat up, staring at you foolishly, watching as you jerked from the overstimulation. Satoru's fingers trailed down your chest, reaching to your stomach as you continued to huff.

"M'going to shower.." you muttered as he lay in bed, watching as you staggered to the bathroom.

Whether it was post nut clarity or nut, an overwhelming feeling of doubt over came him. How did he get here? The last thing he remembered before waking up on the island was...

He stood up, walking to the bathroom to look for you. And answers. The oil lamp in his hands shook as he peered through the slightly ajar bathroom door. Inside of the tub, llay a half woman, half fish?

He stumbled back, throat dry as he became light headed. Through all his tremors, he dropped the oil lamp, causing the glass to shatter. "Satoru..?" you called out. Silence was the only reply.

You knew that sooner or later he would realise this was all a pathetic dream. A dream that The great pirate Satoru Gojo had when he'd finally finished his quest. To run away to one of the beautiful island he had found with a even prettier maiden. And here he lay, his heart bright red, soon turning black as you watched all his hopes and dream shatter in front of him.

The life he fought so hard to have was nothing but a big lie.

Everything but that good pussy.

[grmontague]

[ zendaya, halfblood, she/her ] - GRACE MONTAGUE is a [ 20 ] old [ CIS WOMAN ], and a member of the [ HUFFLEPUFF ] house. GRACE is studying [ ALCHEMY ] in their [ 9TH ] year at hogwarts. GRACE reminds people of [ LAVENDER ON THE BREEZE, THE SILENCE BEFORE THE STORM, THE WARMTH OF TEA AGAINST THE CERAMIC CUP ], and is siding with the [  NEUTRAL ] during the war. but hopefully, it won’t come to that. 

𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒

FULL NAME: Grace Elizabeth Montague NAME MEANING: grace - From the English word grace, which ultimately derives from Latin gratia. This was one of the virtue names created in the 17th century by the Puritans. elizabeth - From Ἐλισάβετ (Elisabet), the Greek form of the Hebrew name אֱלִישֶׁבַע ('Elisheva') meaning "my God is an oath", derived from the roots אֵל ('el) referring to the Hebrew God and שָׁבַע (shava') meaning "oath".  NICKNAMES: Gracie. AGE: 20 BIRTHDAY: September 9th, Virgo GENDER: cis woman PRONOUNS: she/her SEXUALITY: bisexual BLOOD STATUS: Halfblood ALLIANCE: neutral

𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄

FACECLAIM: Zendaya Coleman HEIGHT: 5'10" EYE COLOR: amber brown HAIR COLOR/LENGTH/STYLE: Dark auburn, thick and voluminous curls that she wears in many different styles depending on her mood. If she's quidditch though, they're in two long braids. TATTOOS/SCARS/MARKINGS: She has a crescent moon scar over her right eyebrow. She has her zodiac sign, Virgo, tattooed above her left shoulder blade.

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

MBTI - ISTJ (logistician) Logisticians pride themselves on their integrity. People with this personality type mean what they say, and when they commit to doing something, they make sure to follow through.

𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒

Her parents weren't meant to meet. Henry Montague's curiosity, rebellious streak, and obsession with music were the only things that had him to the muggle performance hall where he had come across Lydia. Once upon a time, he would have described their meeting as love at first sight. It led to a very quick courtship and after just a few short months, they were married and expecting their first child.

When Grace arrived, her parents were young and immature. And, Lydia never really had forgiven Henry for keeping the secret that he was a wizard until they were married. It was a breach in trust, and a wound that never really healed.

Their little family moved into Henry's family estate with his own mother and father, who never really approved of the match. They did, however, took the responsibility of raising Grace in a manner that they saw fit. Grace held their name and was to be a representative of their family in the magical world. She was given all the lessons that were expected of a young witch. Anything that was asked of her, she did without question in hopes to fully gain their love. She was never fully perfect as her grandmother would always remind her which only pushed her to try harder.

The environment at the Montague estate was hard on her mother. The once beautiful singer, wilted into a fraction of the woman she was. Grace (as an adult now) can see how leaving Henry in the end was a good victory for her mother. But the whole ordeal was hard.

Lydia and Grace left when Grace was eight years old. The change was absolutely jarring for Grace. She went from a large, cold manor to a much smaller cottage on an apple orchard. She left behind her life and friends for something she didn't fully know or understand. She didn't make friends well in her new community and was often left out of all the events involving kids. Music was her only solace and since she was considered rather striking, her mother got her involved in plenty of local pageants-- whether or not Grace wanted to.

Because of the divorce, Henry and his parents contact with Grace diminished leaving her feeling rather abandoned. It was pretty clear that her grandparents were happy to be rid of all things muggle in their lives and unfortunately, that included Grace.

Her hogwarts letter was a relief and while she had to convince her mother to let her go, Grace joined other witches and wizards at King's cross for her first year. She was sorted into Hufflepuff and for the first time in a very long time, she was somewhere that almost felt like home.

She is a fairly decent student, finding herself attracted most to alchemy. She enjoys quidditch and a few other clubs at school.

At the moment, with everything going on, Grace has managed to keep herself pretty neutral. She has friends on both sides but she knows that very soon, she's going to have to take a side.

[mediaevalmusereads]

Weyward. By Emilia Hart. St. Martin's, 2023.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: historical fiction, magical realism

Part of a Series? No

Summary: 2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.

***Full review below.***

Content Warnings: domestic violence and abuse (physical, verbal, emotional, financial, and reproductive), blood, self-harm, racism, rape and impregnation of a teenager, suicidal ideation, abortion

Overview: I didn't know much about this book going in, but I do remember seeing it on display at my local bookstore, so I figured I'd give it a go. The premise itself seemed like something I'd be into: multiple generations of women, nature, magic, and the power of female resilience. Unfortunately, I didn't find the execution as inspiring as I'd hoped. In my opinion, this book struggles with a little bit of everything (plot, prose, and character), though as a whole, it wasn't so poorly done that I would say the author is dropping the ball. Rather, this book has a strong premise but struggles to engage with the reader, so for that reason, it gets 3 stars from me.

Writing: While I did like Hart's use of figurative language and the ease at which sentences flowed into one another, I had a hard time connecting with the prose because, in my opinion, it's just a tad overwritten. Hart doesn't leave much room for the reader to infer things, and both emotions and interpretations are told to us rather than shown. As a result, the pace of this book can feel rather slow, especially in the beginning when we're being instructed how to interpret things.

Moreover, I didn't quite enjoy the way the chapters were organized. This book is divided into 3 perspectives, with each chapter switching between protagonists Violet, Altha, and Kate. In my opinion, the chapters were a bit too short and were cut off prematurely; it felt like Hart was trying to create suspense, but rather than feeling intrigued, I felt frustrated. Perhaps this could have been alleviated if each chapter had a stronger point that led into the next POV; for example, there's one chapter that is dedicated entirely to Altha entering the city for her murder trial, and the whole chapter is devoted to describing the journey, only to be cut off awkwardly at the thought of an unknown character named Grace. To make the chapter stronger, I would have loved to read more about the rural/urban juxtaposition within Altha's POV, and have that relate to the rural/urban juxtaposition that Kate experiences when she flees to the Weyward cabin. Granted, there may be a little of that, but if it does exist, it doesn't feel intentional on Hart's part.

Plot: The plot of this book follows three women from the Weyward family line: Altha (a woman on trial for murder and witchcraft in 1629), Violet (a viscount's daughter coming of age in 1942), and Kate (a woman fleeing an abusive relationship in 2019). The three storylines explore female resilience as each character struggles to assert agency in the face of patriarchy.

Personally, I felt that each storyline was a little dull. Hart seemed to be trying to create suspense and unease by teasing that the women are somehow related and that their bloodline has some eerie natural power. I put things together faster than our protagonists, and the relationship between them wasn't necessarily new or presented in a way that made things feel fresh. On top of that, rather than exploring the character's emotions and inner lives, I felt like I was being asked to take them for granted and focus on the more mundane actions. For example, Kate leaves her abusive ex at the beginning of the book only to spend the rest of her arc doing mundane things. Altha is incredibly passive for the first half of her story, as we are stuck watching the trial rather than seeing her do much of her own will. Violet is a tad more interesting in that she spends a lot of time trying to learn more about her deceased mother while also trying to avoid the wrath of her abusive father, but even her arc felt a little slow at times.

I think what bothered me the most about the plot was that the book as a whole was supposed to be about "resilience," but most of what happens isn't particularly inspiring. It's not that I wanted big, overt displays of heroism, but I felt like the quiet moments of heroism were buried under the attempts at suspense.

Lastly, I felt like the magical realism was incredibly underutilized. Hart establishes that the Weyward women have a special connection to nature, but thematically, I didn't feel like there was a strong connection between nature and feminine agency. Ecofeminism is a popular topic in current critical discourse, and integrating it into this book would have elevated it immensely. Instead, it felt like nature was a background character, only popping up when convenient.

Characters: This book contains a number of characters, but for this review, I will focus on the three POV protagonists.

Altha, the healer/witch living in 1619, felt rather passive, especially during the trial. When we meet her, she has already been arrested, and I felt like we didn't get to know her until after the trial. As a result, I had a hard time being invested in her fate. Even when we learned more about her, there wasn't much that set her apart from other healers/witches I've read, so I found her arc to be hard to care about.

Violet, the viscount's daughter living in 1942, was a bit more interesting in that she was striving for things. Violet not only dreams of being an entomologist, but she also desperately wants to know more about her deceased mother. The most interesting parts of her arc were when she was actively trying to seek out information, and I liked that despite the hold her father has on her, she was always trying to assert herself and find her own power. There were times when her arc slowed down, so it wasn't perfect, but I found Violet to be the most interesting of the three women.

Kate, the woman living in 2019, had some quiet moments of agency, but overall, I felt like I was watching her going about her new life in a small village. Kate leaves her abusive boyfriend at the start of the novel and hides out at Weyward Cottage - the hovel that belonged to her great aunt. I enjoyed the moments when Kate did things like cut her hair and change her wardrobe; those felt powerful and meaningful, like she was finally freeing herself from her boyfriend's grasp. But most of her arc seemed to just be about her doing mundane things, and I wished more time was spent on exploring Kate's healing process.

TL;DR: Weyward is a novel with a good premise, but ultimately doesn't present readers with anything new or interesting. Between a prose style that relies too much on telling, a plot that forges "resilience" in favor of brutality, and characters without much agency or goals that they strive after, this book is a disappointing attempt to portray female power.

[coda-blue]

Update: Collab VNs

(This is a crosspost from my Patreon. To explore more, click here.)

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

Belladonna's Flight — A demo is RELEASED! Belladonna’s Flight by Night Asobu is a poison-dealing fantasy romance, inspired by the historic case of an uncovered poisoner network in 17th century Paris, France. Made for both the Otome Jam and newly-formed sister jam, Josei Jam, Belladonna's Flight takes place in the fictional French city of Solroy, where you follow Catherine Auclair, a witch who makes her living selling lethal wares under the table. But once word lets out that the law is coming to execute every last one of her criminal ilk, Catherine has to call upon untrustworthy business rivals to try and work out a safe escape. Will her wit and wiles help her succeed, or will she get what's coming to her in a fateful betrayal?

I voice Marie Chaligault, a sharp-tongued fortune teller and potential love interest who keeps in the good graces of her noblesse clientele. I had a blast during the live sessions in bickering and boasting as Marie with my fellow voice talent, so I hope you enjoy it too! And hey: no matter who your favorite character is, Belladonna's Flight is continuing development! So be sure to keep up with Night Asobu, as you'll hear more from us moving forward! Until then, please play, rate, and share the demo!

Hello Counsel — Version 1 is RELEASED! Created by miseri accordion for Otome/Josei Jam, Hello Counsel is a short romcom visual novel that follows criminal sensation, Poise, who just got arrested! She's not talking to the cops unless her lawyer (and boyfriend) Salem is present, but when he swings by, can she keep herself from flirting too much and distracting him from giving good counsel?

I was the Character Artist for this visual novel! I was in love with the premise and the character refs presented in miseri's recruitment document, and I also I hadn't drawn character sprites for a published game in a good while. This ended up being a great opportunity for me to flex my ol' drawing muscles, in a more expressive and cartoonish style than my darker personal projects allow. I love the outrageous world and petty banter of this story, so this was honestly a breath of fresh air for me, style-wise. Please go play, rate, and share the game!

My Reflections

I push myself in my roles if it means in the end, I produce something that I am proud of. But as I don't constantly produce a specific style of product, I tend to overestimate how much work I can get done in, say, an hour. It's interesting to me because these are specialty skills that have taken years for me to train and cultivate, so what I personally can get done in an hour has all that history behind it, compared to someone else who may be much earlier in their own journey. Yet still I feel... slow. But I'm not sure if I'm "slow" so much as I'm underestimating my average output for a work I deliberately intend to look, read, or sound a certain level of polished. At the end of the day, I need to have more realistic—or perhaps, forgiving—expectations for myself. I also need to permit myself to be able to make certain executive decisions in the creative process that speed up the process because of my years of experience already informing my judgements. I trust myself to find that balance, and this latest jam experience has been a great help in reminding me of my strengths and points of which I ought to improve.

That's a Wrap

Thank you for reading! If you dig my stuff and where I'm headed, don't be afraid to show your support by sharing this post, interacting, or sending a tip my way.

[cloudberry-sims]

A Decade Through Time: The Alderberg Legacy: Year 1609

Sorry guys , it will only post this tonight. I’m having a headache 😥

From the Beginning I Currently

The first quarter of 1609 a calm one , at least at the Dagworth home. 

Mary & Hubert had a calm day at the with their sons.

Soon Amos would need old enough to walk around and play with  with his brother , soon old enough for Mary to use her “motherly love” to educate him.  

And in a few months time , a third little Dagworth will arrive. 

The Friswell family , for the last couple of years had been struck by unfortunate events , end sadly it would continue to 1609. 

Sweet Annabel Friswell , just a year after Charles’s death , became dreadfully sick with smallpox and died from the decided , shy away from her 6th birthday. Leaving her poor father , older brother and little sister alone in the world. 

At the beginning of the second quarter of the year , during a mild snowstorm, Parnell Mildmay gave birth.  

It was a delightful baby girl , whom was named Thomasin. 

But why Thomasin? Although Geoff didn’t remember his father , he had promised his mother that he would name his first born after him. Geoff and Parnell came to the conclusion that they might not have a son to name after him , so they picked Thomasin for their first born child. 

Back at the Dagworths, Amos was now toddling around the house , playing with his older brother Tobias merrily. 

Mary’s pregnancy was conformed , and it wouldn’t be long until their third child will arrive. Mary hopes for a third boy, yet Hubert surprisingly expressed wishes for a girl, as all families should at-least have 1 daughter in his opinion.  

1609 had been a quiet affair for the Alderberg family. It’s been a year since Helewis and Griffyn’s marriage and the family has found a new normal. 

Lucy Alderberg had her 6th birthday during the second quarter , and she had taken a big interest in board games. She had formed a weird habit of “betting” while gaming. She would bet for stuff like food or stuff. Griffyn finds Lucy’s little habit interesting , but hopes she will grow out of it. He didn’t want his youngest daughter to become a gambler. 

Caleb had also developed a new hobby , and it was writing. He enjoyed reading in general , and writing became a way for him to express thoughts that was trapped in his head. It was mostly simple stuff , short stories or things that had happen during the day. 

Sadly by the end of the second quarter , Geoff’s little family had a loss as Thomasin didn’t make it past her first 3 months of life , after a nasty and deadly cold infecting the girl. Parnell & Geoffrey will always remember their sweet baby girl , but this was the 17th century, and not all children made it. 

3 months Mary had went into labor by the end of the year and gave birth to a baby girl. 

Her husband was at aw of little Fanstine Dagworth , and so were Tobias and Amos. 

And how did Mary feel? Content, maybe even happy. She never thought she wanted a daughter , but holding her precious Fanstine made her rethink. She couldn’t stop imagining her life: How she would grow up in high society , perhaps marry a minor noble or a wealthy merchant , living in a beautiful house in the city or a manor , with Mary always visiting , of course. Fanstine would be perfection in Mary’s eyes, now she just have to grow up… 

At Mary’s family home , Grace Stanwix celebrated her 6th birthday. 

She was a sweet soul , always so kind to her grandmother and grandfather. Anne felt pampered with how much love her grandchild gave her each day , and she knew Sybil would loved and cherished Grace like no other. 

Grace couldn’t wait for spring to come , so she can play outdoors all day long with James and Lucy. Where she can hear the sweet songs of birds and enjoy simple life. 

High up in Outland at the Wolfeden’s den ,Beatrice also celebrated a birthday , her 13th to be precise. 

Beatrice had always been the more intellectual sister out of the 3. She always win in games and had a thirst for knowledge, yet with this knowledge it made her a bit of a know-it-all, but she was still a very kind and generous sim. She’s kind towards other and kind towards nature , as she does always try to work with mother nature and the watcher’s blessing. A very interesting girl , our Beatrice. 

[adarkrainbow]

Catherine Bernard’s Riquet with the tuft

(Note: all illustrations actually come from Perrault’s Riquet with the tuft, not Bernard’s)

As I said in my post about Charles Perrault’s Riquet with the tuft, the tale of the Academician was actually an answer to a previous fairytale written by Catherine Bernard - and reading her version of “Riquet with the tuft” helps a lot understand Perrault’s. Now, while Catherine Bernard is part of the “first fairytale tellers” of France, and was very influential in the birth of the fairy tale genre (after all, she influenced Perrault’s tales), she isn’t often talked about... It is because, unlike other writers of the “first generations”, she didn’t create a lot of fairytales - merely two. “Le prince rosier” (the rose-bush tree) and her Riquet with the tuft, both inserted in a novel called “Inès de Cordoue”. This, as you will learn by following this blog, was actually quite usual when the fairytale genre appeared: fairytales weren’t considered enough to exist “by their own” and so were often inserted as “stories-within-stories” in realistic narratives. 

Mind you, when I say Catherine Bernard wasn’t “talked much about”, I mean in terms of fairytales nowadays - outside of this, she was actually one of the famous French women of the second half of the 17th century. Also called “mademoiselle Bernard”, she was a poetess, a novelist and a playwright, and one of the first women part of the Académie Française. Much more importantly: she was the first women who got a theater play written by her (a tragédie) to be played by the Comédie Française! (If you don’t know about France at this time, this was huge, l’Académie Française was the official cultural institution of France, and the Comédie Française the most famous and respectable official theater of France). 

All that being said, let’s see what’s her take on the “Riquet” story...

Once upon a time, there was a rich lord of Granada [note: Given the novel the story is inserted in takes place in Spain, of course the fairytale has a Spanish flavor to it] who had only one sorrow: his only daughter, despite being very beautiful, was very stupid. Her actions ruined her grace, and despite her splendid body, she lacked a “soul”. She was named Mama, and she was too stupid to know that she was actually stupid (well, “lacking spirit” as mademoiselle Bernard puts it), but she felt that she was disdained and isolated from others, though she couldn’t tell why. One day, as she was walking alone near her house, a man so hideous he could be a monster appeared out of the ground. She was ready to flee when he talked to her, saying he had bad news to tell her, but also pleasant things to promise. He begins with the cruel part: he reveals to her that the reason don’t like is because she is lacking “in thoughts”, and because she never thinks she is far inferior to him, even though he is a monster in body. (There is a funny line where he adds “But given you empty your eyes are right now, I realized I over-estimated you when I thought my words would offend you.”) The monstrous man offers Mama to give her spirit - but to do so, she needs to love him, Riquet with the Tuft, and in one year she will have to marry him. He lets Mama think about it as long as she likes, and while waiting she just has to repeat a little magical poem to gain the thoughts and cleverness she misses (it is a little poem about love).

 The girl immediately does so, and becomes fast in thought and shining in spirit. Back at the court, she amazes everyone with her newfound spirituality, she is now surrounded by friends and lovers at her balls and promenades, soon people become jealous of her and everybody talks about her. And regularly she repeats the magical love-poem of Riquet, to keep her bright spirit... But unfortunately, while these words do create a feeling of love in her heart, it is for somebody else: for the most good-lovers of her suitors. There’s just one problem: this suitor is not rich or wealthy in any way, he is “without fortune”. The girl’s parents, realizing the mistake they made by wishing for her to have spirit, try to compensate it by teaching her all sorts of warnings about love - but it is useless to fight love in the heart of a young and pretty girl, and so Mama became madly in love with the handsome but poor suitor, Arada. 

Now, Mama had revealed to no one the true cause of her “spiritual metamorphosis” - she was so vain she refused to admit she didn’t grow a complex thought on her own. But as the year came to a close she started to despair and realize that she shouldn’t have used Riquet’s gift so much - she needed to escape her fateful wedding to the monstrous man, while also keeping the gift he had offered her...  One day, as she thought about her plan alone, she heard a great noise and songs from under the ground - songs singing the poem of love Riquet taught her. Mama, terrified, sees the ground open up before her, and Riquet with the tuft appears surrounded by men as deformed him. She could only cry before such a sight. Riquet understood what was going on, and was sad to realize she disliked him even more than before, but he told her: you can still back up. I gave you one year to think over, you can refuse my wedding proposition, as long as you return to me the gift of spirit I gave you. However, if she marries him, she will become the Queen of the Gnomes (for Riquet himself reveals to be the King of the Gnomes), and he will offer her all the treasures buried under the earth (which are his property). He concludes: “If someone is unhappy with both gold and spirit, it is that they deserve to be.”

Riquet takes Mama in his underground kingdom and his somptuous, luxury apartments, where ugly female Gnomes serve her every whim and desires. He leaves her two days to see what he has to offer to help her make her choice, and she has all sorts of gnome-entertainments - balls and theater plays - but all she can see is the grotesque appearance of everyone. Now, to flee this hideous husband, she was ready to return to stupidity... But she had a lover now, and this changed everything. She didn’t want to lose Arada, so she wanted to keep her spirit, but by doing so she condemned herself to life forever underground cut from him... 

After two days, she realized she fear too much to return to Arada in a thoughtless state, and decided to marry Riquet nonetheless, to keep her spirit. Through this wedding, Mama’s spirit became even bigger and stronger than before, but this made her regret even more the decision she took of marrying a monster that disgusted her constantly. Riquet realized the hatred of his wife, and he grew hurt - he started to curse his own curiosity that led him outside of his underground realm, he cursed all these seductive womens and his dreams of marriages, and in his bitter state he left Mama more and more alone. Without the King of the Gnomes around, Mama decided to bring Arada into her underground realm: after all, she entered, couldn’t he? She was also worried of how brutally and unexpectedly the Gnome had ravished her - fearing what people might say and claim back at the surface. Mama had a Gnome servant bring a letter to Arada, who was despaired by the disappearance of his lover, and as soon as he learned where she was, he joined her - gaining access with her help to her underground chambers. Exchanging sweet words, Arada decided to abandon the human world to live with Mama under the earth. 

Arada thus started to live with Mama hidden in Riquet’s palace - but Riquet noticed that his wife was suddenly much more joyful and happy than usual. Worse: he noticed she made an effort to dress up nicely, put on jewels and look pretty, even when she was supposed to be completely alone. He was too clever to believe she somehow had grown to like him - and he guessed a human lover must have sneaked to her. He wanted to punish her, for using the intelligence he had gifted her against him - but he couldn’t remove all of it, because she had obeyed his law and held his promise... So he decided to split the spell: she would only be intelligent at night, as she slept with him, and return to begin stupid by day, when he left her alone. 

Unfortunately for Riquet, while during the day Mama was lethargic with stupidity, by night the rush of ideas kept waking her up, and she stole a magical herb that, placed under Riquet’s nose, would make him sleep deeply as long as she liked. Like thus, she could leave her drugged husband to spend the night at her lover’s hiding place, without worrying about a thing. This went on from quite some times - she spent all her nights with her lovers, and by the morning removed the herbs, and spent her lonely, stupid days sleeping. 

But things couldn’t last forever... The magical leaves that placed Riquet to sleep also made him snore. A Gnome servant, who was half awakened half asleep, misunderstood one of the snores as an order and rushed into the bedroom of his master: seeing the herb, he thought they were bothering him, and removed them. Riquet found himself all alone. Looking for his wife, he discovered her making vows of eternal love to Arada. Riquet didn’t say anything, but took a wand and touched with it Arada, who became identical in body to Riquet. Days passing by, Mama lost the ability to distinguish between the two, and merely found herself with two husbands: she didn’t know to which she could confess her sorrows, and from which she should fear the wrath. 

Mademoiselle Bernard to conclude: “But maybe she didn’t lose that much. With time, all lovers become husbands.” THE END

As you can see, this story has a quite distinct tone. We have here a more irreverencious, humoristic, darker tale where no one is really a good guy - it is a classic “unfortunate extra-marital love story” so typical of the time. The female protagonist, Mama, is clearly designed to not be a good heroine - she is told to be vain, cunning, deceiving, and to use her intelligence for bad things... But at the same time, it is said that she only follows her heart, and that she stays true to her love despite what everybody else says. In a similar way, Arada could be seen as an antagonist, given his position in the tale, but the truth is that he is just a good-hearted man in love, and who stays true and loyal for his soul-mate, even abandoning the human world for her. 

It is a strange and bizarre tale without clear morals here, a muddle grey story where nothing is black-and-white, and whose only purpose is to explore the clash between “love” and “marriage”. We have here the traditional topos of a loveless wedding to a hideous and hated husband - but who, in a twist, is not a bad, cruel or lecherous one, as Riquet is shown to be understanding of his wife’s feeling, to be wise, to leave her a full choice to marry him or not... He only punishes her when she does break their marital bonds, and even then his punishments are not truly cruel. In fact, this breaking of the cliche and stereotypes of the romance novels reaches a culminating point with the last sentence of the tale: “All lovers become husbands”, which literaly happens as Mama finds Arada turned into a twin of Riquet. Catherine Bernard seems here to try to prove the absurdity of the very topoi romance of her time relied on, this sort of clear-cut divide between the charming, heroic, extra-marital lovers and the wicked husbands, by pointing out how one can become the other and reverse: the real thrill of Mama (and of all typical romance protagonist) is the thrill of an extra-marital relationship with a young and beautiful person. But if we imagine that their love for the dashing youths lead them to marry them... Then it means love is gone, as they are now one of those hated husbands the romance-heroine has to flee from in another man’s arms. A very superficial way of thinking that Bernard takes a great joy playing with here - especially by highlighting how everything bad that happened to Mama happened because of her vanity, her refusal to reveal where she got her intelligence from, her refusal to appear stupid in front of the man she loved (or thought she loved). The fact that, in the end, when one’s appearance is changed, she cannot distinguish between the two, actually proves that her feelings were entirely superficial, and that deep down, Riquet and Arada are the same in spirit... 

Of course, reading this full, original version also allows one to understand the strange gaps and holes in Perrault’s story. The whole passage of Riquet having an underground kitchen popping out of nowhere makes not much sense in his tale (since Riquet is there a human prince) - but it is a nod to Bernard’ version where Riquet is a gnome ruling over an underground nation. Similarly, the mention of the dashing rival opposing Riquet in Perrault’s is a leftover of Arada, a nod to the original tale that is quickly gotten rid of as the Academician rather chooses to make his story one about the power of love, with a happy ending, rather than a pathetic comedy like Bernard’s. In fact, Perrault’s ending is purposefully designed to be the reverse of Bernard, with the ugly dwarf becoming the handsome prince, instead of the reverse - and the ambiguity at the end of Bernard’s tale (Mama unable to recognize Arada from Riquet) is displaced to the princess of Perrault unable to know if Riquet was truly transformed, or if simply her look of him changed. 

To this, I’ll add some notes taken not from my mind, but from an article written by Monique Vincent, comparing the two versions of the tale:

Perrault’s story is one fundamentally optimistic. In his tale, the character of the fairy is here to soothe and balance the disasters of natural birth: to the ugly Riquet she gives spirit, and to the stupid girl she gives the power to make people beautiful. These two different characters are soul-mates made for each other, gifted with complementary gifts, that end up making the happiness of one another. But Bernard’s tale is pessimistic. There is no fairy, only Riquet can give a gift (a gift which causes his own unhappiness, and is used/abused against him), and the “marvelous” of the tale is only present in Riquet who, while just an extravagant but charming prince in Perrault’s, is here a grotesque and frightening being ruling over an underground realm of ugliness. Perrault’s protagonist are charming - the stupidity of the princess being tied to everyday things such as clumsiness, and Riquet having his cute little tuft of hair at his birth ; Bernard’s characters are self-destructive, such as Mama who keeps accumulating miseries and miseries driven by the wrong choices. 

The whole struggle of Mama is one of fatality: to keep her newfound love and reputation, she is forced to tie herself forever to somebody she does not love, but to be able to live fully and happily her live and emotions, she needs to become a betrayer and an oath-breaker. She understands and knows that there is no right way for her, and that she is doomed either way, but still drags herself and her lover into dangerous situations out of pure vanity. And Bernard’s character of Riquet is one we can only feel pity for, the same way he felt pity for Mama - as his fate is to be humiliated by a cheating wife, and to end up in self-hatred due to Mama’s constant disgust (it is noted that due to her dislike of him, he ends up cursing his own appearance). Perrault’s narrative is fast, light-hearted, talkative and “shining” with wonders ; Bernard’s narrative is a deeply human story of anxiety and emotions, taking us into the depths of the heart and the earth. This is a clear opposition of what liked to call “le merveilleux blanc” and “le merveilleux noir”, the white marvelous and the black marvelous. In fact, Perrault’s story is much closer to the traditional fairytale, where Bernard’s story is still ingrained in the logic of the novel. 

A common point in those two tales is that both explore aspects of the modern world the authors live in, but each author has its different angle. Perrault’s tale is about life in society: it is about learning to be entertaining at parties, it is how to get the art of “shining” by your conversation, it is the story of a young princess becoming the jewel of a court, and it ends with the social event that is a wedding feast. Mademoiselle Bernard rather turns herself towards the familial life: Mama is the young girl that cannot be with the one she is in love with due to her parents’ disapproval, while only being able to grow as a person through the love of someone else ; it is the story of a husband who tries to make his wife happy through riches and entertainments, but fails as she flees to find something else he cannot offer. This is the story of a girl who follows her love despite the social and familial norms, which only leads her to becoming an unhappy criminal. This is the full horror of the “black marvelous”. 

But both tale share a noticeable “twist” and “leaning” towards the real world, somehow announcing the disappearance of the world of the supernatural and the wonders, replaced by reality. In Perrault’s, it is the refutation of the fairy’s spell through psychological explanations ; in Bernard’s, it is the depressing conclusion of what looks like a banal, sad case of love affair and cheated husbands - that “all lovers become husbands”, a heavy truth that crushes the marvels of the world of the gnomes, reducing it to a mere caricature of our own world.  Bernard’s tale is a tragedy, Perrault’s a comedy. 

[I would personaly nuance that there is more humor than what Monique Vincent claims in Bernard’s story - there are several jokes cracked up here and there, the whole situation is indeed a grotesque caricature of romance stories, and the final conclusion, while pretty sad or heavy, can also be read as a sort of dark joke.]

[kynaswhereabouts]

GIN IS IN: Ginebra hosts White Party to celebrate World Gin Day

GSM highlights the ‘Cool, Clear, and Versatile’ quality of gin

White is the color of fun this year as Ginebra San Miguel Inc. (GSMI), the maker of the world’s no. 1 selling gin, is celebrating World Gin Day (WGD) in a “cool, clear, and versatile” way. Starting with a media launch on June 8 at The Westin Manila in Ortigas, a series of events will be held to highlight June as World Gin month.

WGD, a global celebration observed every second Saturday of June, is spearheaded in the Philippines by GSMI, as it was also the one who brought the first WGD festivities to the Asia Pacific region back in 2014. That year, GSMI marked the 180th year of its flagship brand, Ginebra San Miguel. Today, gin enthusiasts look forward to GSMI’s month-long activities, which not only celebrate gin’s enduring influence on our drinking culture but also its role in celebrations, fiestas, gatherings, and even our everyday triumphs.

“We join gin enthusiasts worldwide in celebrating World Gin Day. As pioneers of this event in our country, we aspire to ignite the spirit of greater appreciation for more Filipinos to know gin’s outstanding qualities, as it is a drink that is ‘Cool, Clear, and Versatile,’” says GSMI Marketing Manager Ron Molina.

‘Cool, Clear, and Versatile’

This June 8, GSMI once again reinforces that “Gin Is In,” highlighting gin’s “Cool, Clear, and Versatile” qualities that elevate it from the rest.

Gin has been around since the 17th century, and remains popular to this day, especially in Europe, and of course, the Philippines. It is loved by many, and its popularity can be attributed to its taste—the flavor of Juniper and a variety of botanicals—allowing gin to exude that classic yet “Cool” vibe.

The gin’s “Clear,” pure quality is derived from a rigorous distillation process that brings out its best flavor. Since it is unpretentious – with nothing to hide – it is a drink known for its “Versatility,” as it can be enjoyed straight or mixed with other ingredients in a cocktail.

In a new campaign supporting the appreciation for Gin, GSMI features three exciting and authentic personalities who perfectly embody these unique characteristics of gin.

Gin Is Cool.

The actor and model Zanjoe Marudo likes the cool and refreshing gin experience to punctuate the day. For him, being cool is more than style and moves; it is being calm, too. “Alam niyo kung anong totoong COOL sakin? Yung pagiging kalmado ko (You know what’s truly cool for me? It is my being calm),” says Zanjoe. His choice of gin is popular to this day – Ginebra San Miguel, which has been his favorite since his days growing up in Batangas.

Gin Is Clear.

Basel Manadil’s choice is GSM Premium Gin, a distilled gin made with natural ingredients and fine botanicals. Popularly known as “The Hungry Syrian,” the Syrian-born Filipino vlogger’s viral posts have made him a clear favorite among millions of netizens. As he would say, “always be CLEAR with your intentions no matter where you go. Because everything you do, can make an impact to others.”

Gin is Versatile.

Actress comedian Herlene “Hipon Girl” Budol likes her gin to be versatile, a drink she can enjoy in many ways. This love for versatility in drinks is something that she also carries in life. The fact that this comedian was able to transform herself into a serious pageant contender truly is outstanding and admirable. Herlene has won over Filipinos with her charming wit, down-to-earth personality, and of course, her remarkable versatility. “In life, dapat VERSATILE (In life, one should be versatile). If you are good at one thing, you can also be good at anything! Stay true while learning many things.”

The three of them – Zanjoe, Basel, and Herlene – will not only grace the WGD celebration but will also be present at various events of GSMI during “Gin Is In” celebrations starting in June.

“We are proud to say that they truly embody the best qualities of gin: Zanjoe is ‘Cool like Gin Is In.’ Basel is ‘Clear like Gin Is In,’ and Herlene is ‘Versatile like Gin Is In,’” Molina added.

GSM Bar Academy graduates ‘mix’ back

One of the highlights of the WGD event is the presence of three mixologists who are scholar-graduates of the Ginebra San Miguel Bar Academy, a partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) that gives Filipinos a chance to change their lives through education – training students in bartending, flairtending, and basic entrepreneurship.

With the goal of producing globally-competitive and job-ready graduates, while elevating the quality of the bartending profession in the process, the GSM Bar Academy is proud to say that it has produced an astounding 100% immediate employability for all its graduates in 2022.

During WGD, three graduates of the GSM Bar Academy – Jhyrus Denver A. Domingo, Angela Felarca, and JP Peñaflor – who are all employed in top bars in Metro Manila, will showcase their mixology skills in a friendly competition with the theme, “Gin Is In, ” which will feature the world’s most popular and bestselling gin Ginebra San Miguel and other brands, GSM Blue and GSM Premium Distilled Gin.

The success of the GSM Bar Academy in transforming the lives not only of the students but also of their families and the community has not gone unnoticed. In fact, the program will be a recipient of the prestigious International CSR Excellence Award, to be formally awarded on June 16 in London, UK.

‘Gin Is In’ Nationwide

Part of the WGD celebration will be the launch of the second season of G-MIX Nation Online Series, hosted by Luis Manzano, which will be shown for the first time and will feature new cocktail recipes. Alongside is the Home Bar Kit that features Ginebra products and tools for mixing different kinds of cocktails, which is sold online and at select supermarkets.

To ensure gin enthusiasts across the country can partake in the “Gin Is In” festivity, Ginebra San Miguel Inc. will also host mini events in around 50 bars nationwide, including those in Pampanga, Naga, Cebu, and Cagayan De Oro. These bar activations will offer consumers exclusive promotions, raffle giveaways, and outlet merchandising, providing an opportunity for everyone to immerse themselves in the celebration.

To sustain the momentum of the “Gin Is In,” there will be various activities in hundreds on-premise outlets from July to December. Participating outlets will receive exclusive benefits, special “Gin Is In” stubs for consumers to support their patronage.

GSMI's World Gin Day celebration is just the beginning of a series of exciting events, allowing enthusiasts to declare their love and support for the vibrant local gin culture. In the country, gin is synonymous with Ginebra San Miguel. It is the country’s pioneering gin and the oldest consumer brand still in the market, but still remains cool, clear and versatile, a timeless classic yet still in tune with the times.

Each bottle of Ginebra San Miguel undergoes a stringent production process to ensure optimal quality. As a testament to the strength of its brand name, variants such as GSM Blue, GSM Blue Flavors, and Ginebra San Miguel Premium Gin, have been introduced to cater to different market segments. Just launched last year, its 1834 Premium Distilled Gin has now become a sought-after drink among those with sophisticated taste, as they are enamored with its infusion of classic juniper berries and unique Philippine botanicals such as Sampaguita and Calamansi.

GSMI is the producer of Ginebra San Miguel, the world’s largest-selling gin, according to leading global drinks journal, Drinks International. GSMI’s other quality distilled spirits include GSM Blue Light Gin, GSM Blue Mojito, GSM Blue Margarita, GSM Blue Gin Pomelo, GSM Premium Gin, 1834 Premium Distilled Gin, Antonov Vodka, Añejo Gold Rum, Primera Light Brandy, the Philippines’ no. 1 Chinese wine Vino Kulafu and the newly launched G&T Ultralight Spirit Drink.

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

17th March >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on 

Matthew 13:24-32 for the Feast of Saint Patrick, Bishop, Missionary

And on

Mark 12:28-34  for Friday, Third Week of Lent.

Feast of Saint Patrick, bishop, Missionary

Gospel (Ireland, United Kingdom)

Matthew 13:24-32

Let them both grow till the harvest.

Jesus put another parable before the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’

   He put another parable before them: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.’

Reflections (14)

(i) Feast of Saint Patrick

As many of you know, a well associated with Saint Patrick for many centuries is to be found a short distance from the church, just off Mellowes Road. He may well have spent some time in the Finglas area. Saint Patrick doesn’t just belong to the Irish. His two writings that have come down to us can speak to people of any nationality. It is those writings that give us access to the life of Saint Patrick and the kind of person he was.

I was reading a little booklet on St Patrick recently, written by a Jesuit, Fr Edmond Grace. He writes he had been living in New York for almost a year when he stopped one day at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. In it he found a woman in deep prayer, looking up at a statue of Saint Patrick. She was African-American and he wondered why she might be praying to St Patrick. The answer came to him as he stepped outside the Cathedral. She was praying to a man who had been taken by force across the sea and condemned to a life of slavery, just as her ancestors had been taken as slaves in the hold of a ship across the Atlantic. Patrick escaped from slavery, but he returned to live among the people who had enslaved him to preach the gospel to them. He wanted his former captors to know the strength of God’s love for them. Fr Grace came to see that Saint Patrick had a message for this woman, and that Patrick belongs to anyone who wants to love those who have done them wrong.

Patrick wrote his Confession or Testimony towards the end of his life to let people know ‘what kind of man I am’. He tells us that he came from a privileged background. His father was a town counsellor and a deacon of the church, who had a comfortable house with many servants. Patrick says that he was born free, of noble rank. At the age of sixteen, he was taken captive with others and brought to Ireland. He found himself among strangers. Gone were his comfortable home, his loving family, his freedom. He was now a slave, with no rights or protection, without friend or future. It is hard to imagine the impact of such a traumatic experience on one so young. Yet, writing in old age, he recognizes the great gifts that came to him during this painful time of exile. Although his grandfather was a priest, and Patrick had been baptized, he acknowledges that as an adolescent he ‘did not know the true God’. However, in exile, while herding sheep in all kinds of weathers he had a spiritual awakening. He refers to the ‘great benefits and graces the Lord saw fit to confer on me in my captivity’. He says, ‘my faith increased and the spirit was stirred up so that in the course of a single day I could say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many in the night’. In this time of great vulnerability, Patrick came to know the Lord’s great love for him. Sometimes our own valleys of darkness can open us up to a sense of the Lord’s loving presence in our lives. As Mary says in her Magnificat, God ‘raises the lowly’.

Six years into his captivity, Patrick says he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Soon, you will go to your own country’, and then, a short while later, he heard the voice say, ‘Look, your ship is ready’. He knew his time had come to escape. After three days sailing and several weeks travelling through deserted country, he eventually made his way home to his family. Having been profoundly touched by God in the years since he left his family, he was now sensitive to the call of God in his life. Sometime after returning home, he heard the Lord’s call to go back to the land of his former captivity to preach the gospel there. After training for the priesthood, he arrived back in Ireland, this time as a free man. He speaks of himself now as a ‘stranger and exile for the love of God’. He writes of ‘the people to whom the love of God brought me’, and ‘the love of Christ gave me to them to serve them humbly and sincerely for my entire lifetime. His mission in Ireland was fraught with dangers and difficulties of all sorts. Yet, he had a strong sense of the many ways the Lord was working through him. He writes, ‘I am very much in debt to God, who gave me so much grace that through me people should be born again in God and afterwards confirmed’. Through him, he says ‘the gospel was brought to the most remote districts beyond which nobody lives and where nobody had ever come to baptize, to ordain clergy or to confirm the people’.

Patrick’s life teaches us to be attentive to the ways that the Lord may be powerfully at work in our darkest moments. Whereas it is never the Lord’s desire that misfortune should come our way, when it does come our way, he is always there beside us, working to bring some good out of what has befallen us. Patrick also teaches us that the Lord can work powerfully through us in spite of our many failings. Patrick was very aware that, in the image of the gospel reading, he was a mixture of wheat and weeds. He begins his Confession, ‘I am Patrick, a sinner, the least of all the faithful’. Yet, like Pope Francis, he had come to know that he was a loved sinner, loved by God. We are all loved sinners and the Lord wants to work through each of us to bring others into the embrace of his love. We can all make our own Saint Patrick’s prayer in his Confession, ‘I ask God for perseverance, to grant that I remain a faithful witness to him for his own sake, until my passing from this life’.

And/Or

(ii) Feast of Saint Patrick

 Today on the feast of St. Patrick, we celebrate the beginnings of the Christian story on this island. We remember Patrick as the one who lit a flame that has remained lighting for nearly sixteen hundred years. Like Paul and Barnabas in today’s second reading, he was a light to the nations, to this nation. When children are baptized, as the baptismal candle is lit from the Easter candle, the celebrant says to their parents and godparents, ‘This light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. These children of yours have been enlightened by Christ… May they keep the flame of faith alive in their hearts’. Today we give thanks that the flame of faith Patrick first lit has been kept alive among us.

 Two of Patrick’s own writings have been preserved for us. They are his Confessions and a letter he wrote to the soldiers of a chieftain by the name of Coroticus. Through these writings the voice of Patrick continues to be heard among us. It is above all from his Confessions that we get the fascinating story of his life.

 He was born a citizen of Roman Britain. His father was a town councillor, part of the Roman administration in southern Britain, who owned a country residence with male and female servants. Patrick came from a Christian family. He tells us that his father was a priest and that his grandfather was a deacon. Yet, as a youth, Patrick’s faith was lukewarm.  Looking back on his youth many years later, he writes in his Confessions: ‘We had turned away from God; we did not keep his commandments’. We can imagine that this must have been a disappointment to his parents.

 Then at the tender age of sixteen, his rather comfortable world came crashing down around him. Writing in his Confessions, he says: ‘I was taken captive as a youth, a mere child… I was taken into captivity in Ireland with many thousands of people… this is where I now am, among strangers’. At a vulnerable and impressionable age, he was wrenched from the family that loved him, taken from his home, his friends, his culture, and thrown into a foreign land as a slave. An experience like that could destroy a young man. Yet, Patrick tells us that in this harsh exile, he had a powerful experience of God’s presence. When everything had been taken from him, he found God, or, rather, God found him. He writes in his Confessions about ‘the great benefits that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in my captivity’. He uses a powerful image to describe his spiritual reawakening: ‘Before I was humbled, I was like a stone lying in the deep mud. Then he who is mighty came and in his mercy he not only pulled me out but lifted me up and placed me at the very top of the wall’. In the wilderness of exile, his faith came alive.

 He goes on to tell us in his Confessions that six years after first coming to Ireland as a slave, at the age of twenty two, he managed to escape from his captivity and to make his way back to Roman Britain. What a home coming that must have been for his parents, who probably thought they would never see him again. They considered him dead, and here he was alive, lost, and now he was found. Patrick states that ‘they earnestly begged me that I should never leave them’. Some years later, Patrick tells us, he had a vision of a man coming from Ireland with a large number of letters. In his vision, Patrick took one of these letters in his hands, and as he began to read it he heard a crowd shout with one voice: ‘We ask you, boy, come and walk once more among us’.

 That vision touched him deeply. He did not come back to Ireland immediately. He first pursued higher studies in preparation for the priesthood, probably in Roman Gaul. After several years he made the journey back to the land of his captivity, initially as a priest. Having established himself as a missionary, he was appointed bishop. He writes in his Confessions: ‘I came to the Irish heathen to preach the good news’. He goes on to write: ‘I am very much in dept to God who gave me so much grace that through me many people should be born again in God and afterwards confirmed’. It is extraordinary that Patrick was prepared to endure voluntary exile to bring the gospel to a people among whom he had experienced captivity. He brought the precious gift of the Christian faith to those who had taken away his freedom many years earlier. I am reminded of a line in one of Paul’s letters: ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good’. It could only have been Patrick’s relationship with the Lord that enabled him to overcome evil with good, as the Lord himself had done.

 Patrick’s story can still speak to us over the centuries. The darkest moment in his life proved to be life-giving both for himself and for the people in the land of his captivity. We have all know our own dark moments. At times we can feel that we are in a kind of exile ourselves, cut off from the supports that we had come to value so much. In ways we might never suspect at the time, such experiences can turn out to be life-giving for ourselves and others. God can be preparing us in those dark times to be labourers in his harvest, like the seventy two in today’s gospel reading. Patrick’s feast day invites us to trust that God can turn even our darkest experiences to good and can bring unexpected new life out of our losses.

And/Or

(iii) Feast of St. Patrick’s Day

 About four years ago I climbed Croagh Patrick for the first time in the company of my sister and brother-in-law. They both live in Southern California. Patrick, who is from the United States, was determined to climb Croagh Patrick. He was recovering from cancer at the time, and, in spite of a very bad back, he wanted to make this climb in thanksgiving for having come through his surgery and treatment so well, and, also, as a form of prayer of petition for God’s ongoing help. We managed to get to the top, just about.

 The Croagh Patrick climb is one expression of the cult of St. Patrick that has continued down to our time. We venerate Patrick today because he spent himself in proclaiming the gospel on this island, bringing Christ to huge numbers of people. He says in his Confessions, ‘I am very much in debt to God who gave me so much grace that through me many people should be born again in God and afterwards confirmed, and that clergy should be ordained for them everywhere’. In amazement at what God had done through him, he asks, ‘How then does it happen in Ireland that a people who in their ignorance of God always worshipped only idols and unclean things up to now, have lately become a people of the Lord and are called children of God?’

 On his feast day we give thanks for Patrick’s response to God’s call to preach the gospel in the land of his former captivity. His first journey to Ireland was not of his own choosing. He was brought here as a slave at the age of 16, having been cruelly separated from his family and his homeland. This must have been a hugely traumatic experience for a young adolescent. He says in his confessions: ‘I was taken captive… before I knew what to seek or what to avoid’. Yet, out of this difficult experience came great good. Although Patrick had been baptized a Christian in his youth, he had developed no relationship with Christ. The faith into which he had been baptized had made no impact on his life. It was only in his captivity that Christ became real for him. In the land of his exile he had a religious awakening. He tells us: ‘When I came to Ireland… I used to pray many times during the day. More and more the love of God and reverence for him came to me. My faith increased… As I now realize, the spirit was burning within me’. That spiritual awakening had enormous consequences, not only for himself but for the people of the land where he was held captive.

 The Lord somehow got through to Patrick during the rigours of captivity in a way he had not got through to Patrick during his reasonably privileged upbringing at home. Patrick uses a striking image to express this transformation in his life: ‘Before I was humbled I was like a stone lying in the deep mud. Then he who is mighty came and in his mercy he not only pulled me out but lifted me up and placed me at the very top of the wall’.

 Patrick’s own story brings home to us that the Lord can work powerfully in dark and troubling times. In the course of our lives we can be brought places that we would rather not go. We might be separated from someone or some place that has been very significant for us. We find ourselves isolated and adrift, in unfamiliar and threatening territory, unsure of our future and with regrets about the past. Patrick’s story reminds us that when we find ourselves in such wilderness places, the Lord does not abandon us. Rather when we seem to be losing so much, he can grace us all the more. Patrick says in his confessions: ‘I cannot be silent… about the great benefits and graces that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in the land of my captivity’. When we are brought low, for whatever reason, the Lord will be as generous with us as he was with Patrick. If we remain open to the Lord in such times, as Patrick did, the Lord will not only grace us but he will also grace many others through us.

 Patrick’s experience teaches us to be alert to the signs of God’s presence even in difficult times. Patrick’s story reminds us that the Lord continues to work powerfully in what appears to be unpromising situations. In this morning’s gospel reading the prospects for a great catch of fish seemed very slim to Peter and his companions. After all, they had worked hard all night and had caught nothing. Yet, Jesus saw great prospects where Peter and the others saw little of promise. When Peter and the others set out in response to the word of Jesus they saw for themselves what Jesus could see all along. The Lord is always creatively at work even in the most unpromising of situations. However, if his work is to bear fruit, he needs us to set out in faith and hope in response to his word, as Peter and his companions did in this morning’s gospel reading, as Patrick did when he left his home for a second time to come to the island of his former captivity. We pray this morning for something of Patrick’s courageous and expectant faith.

And/Or

(iv) St. Patrick’s Day

 We venerate Patrick on this his feast day because he spent himself in proclaiming the gospel on this island, bringing Christ to huge numbers of people. He says of himself in his Confessions, ‘The love of Christ gave me to these people to serve them humbly and sincerely for my entire lifetime’. In amazement at what God had done through him, he asks, ‘How then does it happen in Ireland that a people who in their ignorance of God always worshipped only idols and unclean things up to now, have lately become a people of the Lord and are called children of God?’ He was amazed at how much God had done through him, all the more so because he was very aware of his failings and weaknesses. At the beginning of his Confessions he says, ‘although I am imperfect in many ways I want my brothers and sisters and my relatives to know what kind of man I am so that they may understand the aspiration of my life’. Later on in his Confessions he says, ‘I realize that I did not altogether lead a life as perfect as other believers’. Patrick knew that he was a mixture of wheat and weed, like the field in the parable of today’s gospel reading. In that parable the owner of the field does not despise the field because darnel was to be found among the wheat. He was happy to allow both to grow together knowing that they would be separated at harvest time. When the Lord looks upon us, he looks beyond our failings to the good that is within us. Patrick did not allow his awareness of his imperfections to hold him back from doing what he knew God was calling him to do. There is a lesson there for us all, especially in these days when we have become more aware of the church’s imperfections and failings.

 On his feast day we give thanks for Patrick’s response to God’s call to preach the gospel in the land of his former captivity. He was brought here as a slave at the age of 16, having been cruelly separated from his family and his homeland. This must have been a hugely traumatic experience for a young adolescent. Yet, out of this difficult experience came great good. Although Patrick had been baptized a Christian in his youth, he had developed no relationship with Christ. The faith into which he had been baptized had made no impact on his life. It was only in his captivity that Christ became real for him. He tells us: ‘When I came to Ireland… I used to pray many times during the day... My faith increased… the spirit was burning within me’. Patrick uses a striking image to express this transformation in his life: ‘Before I was humbled I was like a stone lying in the deep mud. Then he who is mighty came and in his mercy he not only pulled me out but lifted me up and placed me at the very top of the wall’. That spiritual awakening had enormous consequences, not only for himself but for the people of the land where he was held captive.

 In the course of our lives we can find ourselves in unfamiliar and threatening territory, unsure of our future and with regrets about the past. Patrick’s story reminds us that when we find ourselves in such wilderness places, the Lord is with us. Our brokenness can provide the openings for the Lord to enter our lives. Patrick says in his confessions: ‘I cannot be silent… about the great benefits and graces that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in the land of my captivity’. When we are brought low, for whatever reason, the Lord will be as generous with us as he was with Patrick, and if we seek the Lord in such times, as Patrick did, the Lord will not only grace us but he will grace many others through us.

 After six years Patrick said that he was given the opportunity to escape from his captivity. He was directed to a boat some distance from where he was minding sheep. The captain reluctantly took him on board. Three days sailing was followed by twenty eight days journeying through deserted country. At the end of that journey Patrick describes a very dark spiritual experience that he had, ‘when I was asleep Satan tempted me with a violence which I will remember as long as I am in this body. There fell on me as it were a great rock and I could not stir a limb’. However, he goes on to say that when he cried out in prayer he saw the sun rising in the sky and ‘the brilliance of that sun fell suddenly on me and lifted my depression at once’. Reflecting on that experience, he declares, ‘I believe that I was sustained by Christ my Lord and that his Spirit was even then calling out on my behalf’. Patrick was a great missionary but he also struggled with the darker experiences of life. Yet, he knew the Lord’s presence in his darkness of spirit as much as in the success of his mission. Patrick’s experience teaches us to be alert to the signs of God’s presence in difficult times as well as in good times, in those times when we are more aware of the darnel in our lives than of the wheat.

And/Or

(v) Feast of Saint Patrick

Today on the feast of St. Patrick, we remember Patrick as the one who lit a flame that has remained lighting for nearly sixteen hundred years. He was one of the first to preach the gospel in our land; he broke new ground. The Lord could have said of Patrick’s mission what he says in today’s first reading, ‘See, I am doing a new deed, even now it comes to light; can you not see it?’

 Two of Patrick’s own writings have been preserved for us. It is above all from his Confession that we get the fascinating story of his life. He was probably born a citizen of Roman Britain and came from a Christian family. Yet, as a youth, his faith was lukewarm.  He writes in his Confessions: ‘We had turned away from God; we did not keep his commandments’. At the tender age of sixteen, his rather comfortable world came crashing down around him. Writing in his Confessions, he says: ‘I was taken into captivity in Ireland with many thousands of people’. Patrick became an emigrant, against his wishes. Many of our young people today find themselves in a similar situation. We probably all know family and friends who have recently emigrated without it being their first choice. Patrick’s forced emigration was of a rougher kind. He was wrenched from the family that loved him by captives, and thrown into a foreign land as a slave. An experience like that could destroy a young man. Yet, Patrick tells us that in this harsh exile, he had a powerful experience of God’s presence. He writes in his Confessions about ‘the great benefits that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in my captivity’. In the wilderness of exile, when everything was taken from him, his faith started to fan into a living flame. In this moment of spiritual re-awaking he could easily have made his own the words of Paul in today’s second reading, ‘I look on everything as so much rubbish if only I can have Christ and be given a place in him... All I want is to know Christ’. Whenever we experience some devastating loss, the suffering can be bitter indeed; we find ourselves at the foot of the cross. Yet, like Patrick, we can also find, perhaps to our surprise, that the risen Lord comes to us in that dark place and touches us deeply.

 Patrick goes on to tell us in his Confessions that six years after first coming to Ireland as a slave, at the age of twenty two, he escaped from his captivity and made his way home. What a home coming that must have been for his parents. Patrick states that ‘they earnestly begged me that I should never leave them’. Yet, some years later, he had a vision of a man coming from Ireland with a large number of letters and in that vision he heard a crowd shout with one voice: ‘We ask you, boy, come and walk once more among us’. There and then he decided to answer the call. He first pursued studies for the priesthood, probably in Roman Gaul. After several years he made the journey back to the land of his captivity, initially as a priest. Having established himself as a missionary, he was appointed bishop. He writes in his Confessions: ‘I came to the Irish heathen to preach the good news’. This time Patrick voluntarily went into exile to bring the gospel to the very people who had formerly held him captive. He brought the precious gift of the Christian faith to those who had taken away his freedom many years earlier.

 At the heart of the gospel that Patrick preached was the message of the Lord’s love of us in all our frailty and weakness. That is the message of this morning’s gospel reading. The religious leaders brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus for his judgement. They thought of themselves as good religious people in contrast to the sinful woman. Jesus’ comment, ‘If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her’, showed them that they were just as much sinners as she was. The reality is that we are all sinners; we just sin in different ways. The good news of Jesus is that God loves us unconditionally in spite of our sin. To receive that love and allow ourselves to be transformed by it, we simply need the humility to acknowledge our sin and to come before the Lord in our poverty. This was the humility Paul shows in our second reading, ‘Not that I have become perfect yet... but I am still running’. This humility characterized the life of Patrick too and as is clear from the opening words of his Confession, ‘I am Patrick, a sinner, the most unlearned of men, utterly worthless in the eyes of many’. He knew his past was far from perfect. Yet, he came to understand that the Lord is more interested in our present and our future than in our past. That was the message of Jesus to the woman in the gospel reading. It is his message to all of us.

And/Or

(vi) Feast of Saint Patrick

We venerate Patrick on this his feast day because he gave himself over to proclaiming the gospel on this island, bringing Christ to huge numbers of people. He says of himself in his Confessions, ‘The love of Christ gave me to these people to serve them humbly and sincerely for my entire lifetime’. In amazement at what God had done through him, he asks, ‘How then does it happen in Ireland that a people who in their ignorance of God always worshipped only idols and unclean things up to now, have lately become a people of the Lord and are called children of God?’ He was amazed at how much God had done through him. We are the heirs of Patrick’s great missionary work. He lit a new fire in this land which has never gone out. Patrick was all the more amazed at how God had worked through him because he was very aware of his failings and weaknesses. At the beginning of his Confessions he says, ‘although I am imperfect in many ways I want my brothers and sisters and my relatives to know what kind of man I am so that they may understand the aspiration of my life’. Later on in his Confessions he says, ‘I realize that I did not altogether lead a life as perfect as other believers’. Patrick knew that he had been a continued to be a mixture of wheat and weed, like the field in the parable of today’s gospel reading. In that parable the owner of the field does not despise the field because weed was to be found among the wheat. He was happy to allow both to grow together knowing that they would be separated at harvest time. When the Lord looks upon us, he looks beyond our failings to the good that is within us. Patrick did not allow his awareness of his imperfections to hold him back from doing what he knew God was calling him to do.

 On his feast day we give thanks for Patrick’s response to God’s call to preach the gospel in the land of his former captivity. He was brought here as a slave at the age of 16, having been cruelly separated from his family and his homeland, a truly traumatic experience for a young adolescent. Yet, out of this difficult experience came great good. Although Patrick had been baptized a Christian in his youth, he had developed no relationship with Christ. The faith into which he had been baptized had made no impact on his life. It was only in his captivity that Christ became real for him. He tells us: ‘When I came to Ireland… I used to pray many times during the day... My faith increased… the spirit was burning within me’. Patrick uses a striking image to express this transformation in his life: ‘Before I was humbled I was like a stone lying in the deep mud. Then he who is mighty came and in his mercy he... lifted me up and placed me at the very top of the wall’. This spiritual awakening in captivity had enormous consequences for himself and for the people of the land where he was held captive.

 In the course of our lives we can find ourselves in unfamiliar and threatening territory, unsure of our future and with regrets about the past. Patrick’s story reminds us that when we find ourselves in such wilderness places, our brokenness can provide the openings for the Lord to enter our lives. Patrick says in his confessions: ‘I cannot be silent… about the great benefits and graces that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in the land of my captivity’. When we are brought low, the Lord will be there to lift us up, and he will be as generous with us as he was with Patrick. If we seek the Lord in such times, as Patrick did, the Lord will not only grace us but he will grace many others through us.

 After six years as a captive Patrick was given the opportunity to escape from his captivity. He was directed to a boat some distance from where he was minding sheep. The captain reluctantly took him on board. Three days sailing was followed by twenty eight days journeying through deserted country, probably Gaul. At the end of that journey Patrick describes a very dark spiritual experience that he had, ‘when I was asleep Satan tempted me with a violence which I will remember as long as I am in this body. There fell on me as it were a great rock and I could not stir a limb’. However, he goes on to say that when he cried out in prayer he saw the sun rising in the sky; he says, ‘the brilliance of that sun fell suddenly on me and lifted my depression at once’. Reflecting on that experience, he declares, ‘I believe that I was sustained by Christ my Lord and that his Spirit was even then calling out on my behalf’. Although he was a very successful missionary, Patrick struggled with the darker experiences of life. Yet, he knew that the Lord was as present to him in his darkness of spirit as much as in the success of his mission. Patrick’s experience teaches us to be alert to the signs of God’s presence in difficult times as well as in good times, in those times when we are more aware of the darnel in our lives than of the wheat. His story also teaches us that even when all is not as well with us as we might like, the Lord continues to work powerfully within us and through us.

And/Or

(vii) Feast of Saint Patrick

 The Confessions of Saint Patrick is one of two written works that have come down from him. They are very far removed from us in time, Patrick having written them towards the end of his mission in Ireland sometime in the mid to late fifth century. Yet, it is a very personal document, a personal statement of faith, and, it can continue to speak to us today, almost one thousand six hundred years later.

 He speaks in that document of his two periods of time in Ireland, the first during which he was a slave of a slave owner, and the second when he was a slave of the Lord, faithfully doing the Lord’s work as a bishop. Patrick’s father was a deacon of the church and his grandfather was a pries; they were reasonably well off. He said in his Confessions that at the time of his captivity by pirates at the age of sixteen he was ‘ignorant of the true God’’ and had abandoned God’s commandments. It was while he was in captivity in Ireland, in an alien land, that the Lord touched his heart. As a result, he came to see his time in captivity as a blessing. He uses a striking image to express his spiritual awakening during his time of exile, ‘I was like a stone lying in the deepest mire; and, then, he who is mighty came and, in his mercy, raised me up’. He spells out in some detail how this spiritual awakening transformed him, ‘I prayed frequently each day, and more and more the love of God and the fear of him grew in me, and my faith was increased and my spirit enlivened... come rain, hail or snow, I was up before dawn to pray... I now understand this: at that time the Spirit was fervent in me’. In his Confessions he is giving thanks to God for this reawakening of faith that occurred in him. He declares, ‘I must not hide that gift of God which he gave me bountifully in the land of my captivity, for it was then that I fiercely sought him and there found him’. The God to whom Patrick had been so indifferent in the comfort of his own home, he became passionate about when he was torn away from all he knew and loved. Perhaps this experience of Patrick might resonate with us. It can be the darker experiences of life that open us up to the Lord more fully. When what we treasure is taken from us we can become more sensitive to the Lord’s presence in our lives.

 After six years in captivity he ran away from his master and after a journey of two hundred miles he boarded a ship which sailed to Gaul. He finally made his way back to his family in Britain. He writes that his parents ‘welcomed me home as a son. They begged me in good faith after all my adversities to go nowhere else, nor ever leave them again’. Patrick must have presumed that he was home among his own for good. Yet, he then had this powerful spiritual experience which sent him back to the very people who had taken him captive. He had a vision in which a man called Victorinus came to him with innumerable letters and as he read one Patrick said that he thought the heard the voice of those who live around the wood of Foclut which is close to the Western Sea shouting with one voice, ‘O holy boy, we beg you to come again and walk among us’. He was ordained priest and then appointed bishop and travelled back to Ireland to begin his mission. Looking back over his mission towards the end of his life, he was very aware that his second coming to Ireland was no more his own decision that his first coming. He says at the end of his Confessions, ‘It is not I but Christ the Lord who has ordered me to come here and be with these people for the rest of my life’. He had a very successful mission in Ireland but, clearly, it cost him a great deal. He writes that ‘not a day passes but I expect to be killed or waylaid or taken into slavery or assaulted in some other way’. Patrick’s sense of being called to this work, even though he knew in advance it would cost him so much, is very striking. He encourages us all to be open to the Lord’s call in our own lives. ‘What is the Lord asking of me?’ is a question worth pondering. Sometimes, as in the case of Patrick, he may be asking us to do something that, from a merely human point of view, doesn’t make a lot of sense. To become aware of what the Lord may be asking of us, we need to give ourselves time and space so as to listen to him.

And/Or

(ix) Feast of Saint Patrick

We are very fortunate that the story of Patrick has been preserved in two short Latin letters which he himself wrote in his old age, a letter to the soldiers of Coroticus, the leader of a tribe in Wales, and his own Confessions. In these invaluable documents, Patrick describes himself as a Briton of the Roman nobility who was kidnapped from his family villa by pirates and taken to Ireland when he was about sixteen. His grandfather had been a priest and his father a deacon, so Patrick was raised in a Christian home. However by the time of his capture at the age of sixteen, he had lost his childhood faith and had become an unbeliever. He writes, ‘I was only a young man, almost a speechless boy, when I was captured, before I knew what I ought to seek out or avoid’.

 Nevertheless, several years of brutal slavery in Ireland turned him into a fervent believer. During that traumatic period of exile and slavery he had a spiritual awakening. His time of exile was a spiritual watershed in his life. Looking back on his life before this conversion moment, he says that he was ‘like a stone stuck deep in the mud’. Continuing with that image, he speaks of his spiritual awakening as a time when the Lord ‘in his mercy lifted me up and raised me on high, placing me on top of a wall’. In this Jubilee Year of Mercy, it is interesting that Patrick speaks of this turning point in his life as an experience of the Lord’s mercy. He had a strong sense that it was the Lord rather he himself who brought out this change in him. He writes, ‘I must not conceal the gift of God that he has given me in the land of my captivity’. He found in himself a great need to pray, ‘In a single day I would pray a hundred times and the same at night, even when I was in the woods on the mountain’.

 This spiritual awakening had enormous consequences not just for Patrick but for so many others in the land of his captivity. After several years of brutal slavery in Ireland, he heard the voice of God telling him to flee back to Britain. Against all the odds, he managed to escape to Britain and eventually made his way back to his family. However, after some time he heard the voice of God again calling him to return to the land of his captivity to proclaim the gospel to the very people who had enslaved him. He did not set out on this mission immediately but trained for the priesthood, possibly in Auxerre in Gaul. He was quickly appointed bishop and sent on his mission to Ireland. The sense we get from his writings is that he gave himself wholeheartedly to sharing the gift of faith he had rediscovered with those who had never heard of Christ. He writes in his Confessions, ‘I spent myself for you all... I travelled among you everywhere risking many dangers for your sake even to the farthest places beyond which no one lived. No one had ever gone that far to baptize or ordain clergy or serve the people’.

 I always try to reread the two writings of Patrick that have come down to us as we approach his feast day. Every year something new in them strikes. The gospel reading for the feast of Saint Patrick this particular year made me more sensitive to one feature in particular of Patrick’s writings. In the gospel reading Peter has an overwhelming sense of his own unworthiness, ‘Depart from me, Lord; I am a sinful man’. Simon Peter seems to have had a realistic sense of his own past and present failings. Yet, this did not deter the Lord from calling him, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is people you will catch’. Patrick also had a very strong sense of his own limitations and of his failings. He begins his letter to the soldiers of Coroticus with the sentence, ‘I am Patrick, a sinner and a very ignorant man’. He begins his Confessions in a similar way, ‘I am Patrick, a sinner and a very unsophisticated man. I am the least of all the faithful, and to many the most despised’. At one point in his Confessions he shares an experience of temptation, using a striking image: ‘While I was sleeping that very night, Satan greatly tempted me. I will remember the experience as long as I am in this body. Something like a huge rock seemed to fall on me so that I couldn’t move my arms or legs’. S little further on he writes, ‘He is strong who tries daily to turn me away from my faith and the pure chastity that I have chosen to embrace to the end of my life for Christ the Lord. But the hostile flesh always drags me toward death, to those enticing, forbidden desires’. He is very honest about his personal struggles to remain faithful to the Lord’s call. There is a great realism about his writing. Yet, those struggles did not discourage him. They brought home to him his total dependence on the Lord. He ends his confessions with the acknowledgement that ‘any small thing I accomplished or did that was pleasing to God was done through his gift’.

 Patrick, like Peter in the gospel reading, is an encouragement to us all. He reminds us that the Lord does not ask us to be perfect before calling us to share in his work. He can work powerfully through us, weak as we are, if, like Patrick, we have a generosity of spirit and a recognition of our dependence on the Lord for everything.

And/Or

(x) Feast of Saint Patrick

Today we celebrate the feast of the missionary who was the first to preach the gospel in large parts of this Island. Two of his writings have survived. It is nothing short of a miracle that these two texts have come down to us through the turmoil of history. They allow us to hear in our own time the voice of Patrick. We must be grateful to Patrick for sharing something of his story with us and to the scribes who made copies of the texts down through the centuries.

There is great humility in these two texts. Patrick recognizes his imperfections. He says in his confession, ‘I am imperfect in many ways’. Looking back on his youth he writes that ‘We had turned away from God and had not kept the commandments’. He goes on to declare, ‘I did not believe in the living God… I remained in death and unbelief’. It was the experience of captivity that opened him up to God. He says that in the land of his captivity, he was ‘seized by an awareness of God’s presence’. Patrick seems to have come from a very privileged background. When all that was taken from him, he became sensitive to God’s presence. He expresses this religious awakening in a very striking image, ‘Before my humiliation, I was like a stone lying deep in mire; and the Mighty One came and in his mercy… raised me up and placed me on top of a wall’. Having been living in a kind of spiritual death, he was now raised to a new life in God. His spiritual awakening was an experience of God as Love. He writes in his Confessions that ‘the love of God surrounded me more and more and my faith and reverence towards God was strengthened and my spirit was moved so much that in a single day I would pray as many as a hundred times’. He was so deeply touched by God’s love for him that he had a deep desire to communicate with God in prayer.

Yet it is clear from his writings that this period of rejoicing in God’s love did not stay with him every day ever after. He is very open about the times when his faith was put to the test. Sometime after he escaped from captivity and before he arrived at his home, he endured a great assault on his relationship with God. He speaks of this experience in very vivid imagery, ‘While I was sleeping, Satan assailed me violently, which I will remember as long as I am in this body. He came down upon me like a huge rock, so that none of my limbs could move’. He goes on to say that when he saw the sun rise he cried out with all his strength and he declares, ‘the splendour of the sun fell upon me suddenly and immediately freed me from all the weight of oppression. I believe that I had been helped by Christ my Lord’. Elsewhere he writes, ‘there is a strong force which strives every day to subvert me from the faith’. He knew the darker side of faith and, also, the presence of Christ as light in the midst of the darkness.

Sometime after returning home from captivity, Patrick heard the voice of the Irish calling to him to leave his home once more and return among them as a free man, as a messenger of the Lord. ‘We beg you, O Holy youth, to come and walk once more among us’. His subsequent mission among the Irish bore great fruit. Yet, it is evident from his writings that he suffered a great deal in the exercise of that mission. One of the most painful experiences was when some senior members of the church tried to undermine his ministry when some sin of his youth was brought to their attention. He writes that ‘on that day I was hit so hard I could have fallen here and forever’. Yet, he managed to keep going because, as he writes, ‘the Lord… boldly came to my assistance in this trampling, as a result of which I did not fall apart badly even though shame and blame fell upon me’

His accusers were made aware of some weed from his past, in the language of the gospel reading, and, on that basis they were prepared to undermine all the good he was doing. Patrick was very aware that he was a mixture of wheat and darnel and, yet, he also knew that the Lord loved him and was working powerfully through him, flawed though he was. One of the messages Jesus is giving us in that parable is that the attempt to root out evil may destroy the good as well. There is a mixture of good and evil, of virtue and sin, in each one of us and in the church as a whole. Patrick’s story teaches us that the existence of evil is not a cause for disillusionment. If we acknowledge it and open ourselves to the Lord’s love in our weakness, he can strengthen what is good in us and empower us to be his messengers in the world.

And/Or

(xi) Feast of Saint Patrick

 Saint Patrick lived at a time and place very different to our own. He was born at the end of the fourth century on the embattled edge of the crumbling Roman Empire, probably somewhere in Britain. This was a time when the Roman legions had been withdrawn from the edges of the Empire, and there was a general breakdown in Roman law and order. The way Patrick speaks of his family in his Confessions suggests that there were from the rural gentry. His father was a deacon of the church and his grandfather a priest. Yet, their reasonably well to do background did not prevent them from suffering the effects of the general breakdown of order in Roman society. The protection of Rome was not there to prevent Patrick being captured at the tender age of sixteen. He spent six years as a slave in Ireland, escaping only at the age of twenty-two. Ireland, at the time, was a very different society to anywhere in the Roman Empire, even the edges of the Empire where Patrick was from. He often refers to himself as living among strangers. Coming to Ireland at that tender age must have been a huge culture shock, apart altogether from the hardships of slavery.

 Yet, he subsequently came to see these six years as a time of great grace. He refers to ‘the many great blessings and grace which the Lord chooses to give me in the land of my captivity’. When he was taken captive, he said, ‘I did not yet know what I ought to desire and what to avoid’. Although born into a Christian family, he had never taken his faith seriously. He uses a striking image to describe his life at the time he was taken captive, ‘I was like a stone lying in the deepest mire’. Yet, in exile as a slave in Ireland, he underwent what can only be called a profound spiritual transformation. He writes, ‘I must not hide the gift of God which he gave us bountifully in the land of my captivity, because it was then that I fiercely sought him and there found him’. He writes at one point in his confessions, ‘When I had arrived in Ireland and was looking after flocks the whole time, I prayed frequently each day. And more and more, the love of God and the fear of him grew in me, and my faith was increased’. This spiritual renewal would form the basis of his extraordinary missionary work in Ireland many years later. This was a time of great loss in Patrick’s life, but also a time of deep spiritual and personal growth. It is often the way in our own lives that the most painful experiences can also be the most life-giving, for ourselves and for others. Patrick discovered that when so much was taken from him, the Lord worked powerfully in his life. The Lord is always at work in a life-giving way in all our struggles and losses. At any stage of our lives, we can find ourselves in a kind of exile experience. Our personal landscape changes and we feel estranged, lonely, frightened. We are not alone at such times. The Lord is at our side. He is always close to the broken hearted, those whose spirit is crushed, working to bringing something new out of what is dying.

 After six years of captivity, Patrick made his escape and managed to board a boat. After a long and perilous journey, he finally made it back to his home. He writes, ‘I was again with my parents in Britain who welcomed me home as a son. They begged me in good faith after all my adversities to go nowhere else, or ever leave them again’. It is likely that Patrick believed he would never leave them again. However, God works in mysterious ways. Patrick writes in his Confessions that after many long years ‘God chose to give me a great grace towards that people (who had held me captive), but this was something I had never thought of, nor hoped for, in my youth’. He had a vision in which he heard the voice of the Irish call out to him, ‘O holy boy, we beg you to come again and walk among us’. After studying for the priesthood, he was eventually sent on mission to Ireland as a bishop. In the course of that difficult mission, he says that he often felt the urge to go back to his homeland, but he resisted it because, as he writes, ‘I fear the loss of the work I have begun here, since it is not I but Christ the Lord who ordered me to come here and be with these people for the rest of my life’. If his first visit to Ireland was as a young slave, this second visit was in response to the Lord’s call; he came as a slave of the gospel. As he says right at the end of his Confessions, ‘the one and only purpose I had in coming back to that people from whom I had earlier escaped was the gospel and the promises of God’. This second visit of Patrick to Ireland with all its momentous consequences brings home to us the unexpected nature of God’s call to all of us. God’s call can surprise us. God can be prompting us to take a path we might never have considered if left to ourselves. God’s purpose for our lives can be so much greater than our own plans. Patrick teaches us to hold ourselves in readiness for the Lord’s surprising call in our lives.

And/Or

(xii) Feast of Saint Patrick

 We are very fortunate that the story of Patrick has been preserved in two short Latin letters which he himself wrote in his old age, a letter to the soldiers of Coroticus, the leader of a tribe in Britain, and what has come to be called, ‘St Patrick’s Confession’. In these invaluable historical documents, Patrick gives us a lot of information about himself. He came from a well to do family, the rural gentry, who lived somewhere in Britain or in what is now Britany. He was kidnapped from his family villa by pirates and taken to Ireland when he was only sixteen years of age. His grandfather had been a priest and his father a deacon, so Patrick was raised in a Christian home. However by the time of his capture, his faith was lukewarm.

 During several years of harsh slavery in Ireland, when he was struggling with the loss of so much that was dear to him, he had a spiritual awakening. He began to experience a strong desire to pray, ‘In a single day I would pray a hundred times and the same at night, even when I was in the woods on the mountain’. His time of exile was a watershed in his life. Looking back on his life before his faith was rekindled, he says that he was ‘like a stone stuck deep in the mud’. Continuing with that image, he speaks of his spiritual awakening as a time when the Lord ‘in his mercy lifted me up and raised me on high, placing me on top of a wall’. Patrick speaks of this turning point in his life as an experience of the Lord’s mercy. He had a strong sense that this reawakening of his faith was the Lord’s doing. He writes, ‘I must not conceal the gift of God that he has given me in the land of my captivity’. Whenever, in our own lives, we experience some devastating loss, and we find ourselves in a dark place, we too can find, as Patrick did, that the risen Lord comes to us in that dark place and touches us deeply.

 Patrick’s spiritual reawakening had enormous consequences for the people in the land of his captivity. After several years of slavery in Ireland, he heard the voice of God telling him to flee back to his home. Against all the odds, he managed to escape and make his way back to his family. However, after many years, he heard the voice of God again calling him to return to the land of his captivity, this time to proclaim the gospel to the very people who once enslaved him. After studying for the priesthood, he was eventually sent back to Ireland on mission as a bishop. He gave himself wholeheartedly to proclaiming Christ to those who had never heard of him. He writes in his Confessions, ‘I spent myself for you all... I travelled among you everywhere risking many dangers for your sake even to the farthest places beyond which no one lived. No one had ever gone that far to baptize or ordain clergy or serve the people’. He engaged in this mission at great personal cost to himself, as he wrote in his letter to Coroticus, ‘I sacrificed my homeland and parents and I offer my life to the moment of death’.

 Every year, as I reread the two writings of Patrick, I am struck by something new in them. The gospel reading for the feast of Saint Patrick this year made me more sensitive to one feature in particular in Patrick’s writings. In the gospel reading Peter has an overwhelming sense of his own unworthiness, ‘Depart from me, Lord; I am a sinful man’. Yet, this did not deter the Lord from calling him to share in his work, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is people you will catch’. Patrick also had a very strong sense of his own limitations and of his failings. He begins his Confession, ‘I am Patrick, a sinner… I am the least of all the faithful, and to many the most despised’. At one point in this text he shares an experience of temptation, using a striking image: ‘While I was sleeping that very night, Satan greatly tempted me. I will remember the experience as long as I am in this body. Something like a huge rock seemed to fall on me so that I couldn’t move my arms or legs’. A little further on he writes, ‘He is strong who tries daily to turn me away from my faith and the purity of true religion that I have chosen to embrace to the end of my life for Christ the Lord’. He is honest about his personal struggles to remain faithful to the Lord’s call. Yet, those struggles did not discourage him. They brought home to him his total dependence on the Lord. He ends his Confession acknowledging that ‘any small thing I accomplished or did that was pleasing to God was done through his gift’.

 Patrick, like Peter in the gospel reading, is an encouragement to us all. He reminds us that the Lord does not ask us to be perfect before calling us to share in his work of leading others to God. The Lord can work powerfully through us, weak as we are, if, like Patrick, we have a generosity of spirit when it comes to witnessing to our faith and if we recognize our dependence on the Lord for everything.

And/Or

(xiii) Feast of Saint Patrick’s Day

Coming up to the feast of Saint Patrick, I always re-read the two documents that have come down to us from him, his Confession and his letter to the soldiers of Coroticus. His Confession in particular is a very personal document. He says he writes it because he wants people ‘to know what kind of man I am’. He says that he is writing it in his ‘old age’. Not long before he wrote his Confession, the people in Britain who had been sponsoring his mission in Ireland had made serious accusations against him, which proved to be false. They were taking away his good name. This situation brought on a personal crisis of faith which nearly destroyed him. His Confession was a response to this very hurtful attack on himself and his mission. He needed to show that the way he was being portrayed was not the kind of man he actually was. He says that because of the accusation made against him, he felt shame and disgrace and ‘the impulse was overpowering to fall way not only here and now but forever’. In that dark moment, he turned to the Lord on whom he had always relied, and the Lord did not let him down. He says, ‘the Lord graciously spared his exile and wanderer for his own name’s sake and helped me greatly when I was being walked on in this way’. Patrick had a strong sense of the Lord speaking personally to him through images, dreams, visions. He mentions how the night after this accusation by his seniors in Britain, he saw before his face a writing that dishonoured him, and simultaneously, he says, ‘I heard God’s voice saying to me: “We have seen with disapproval the face of the chosen one deprived of his good name”’. In the Confessions, there is a strong note of thanksgiving to God i for standing by him during this difficult time, ‘I give thanks to my God tirelessly who kept me faithful in the day of trial’. Patrick reminds us that the Lord is standing by us all in our time of trial now.

As he looks back on his life journey, he tells us that he is the freeborn son of a Roman nobleman, a town Councillor, who was also a deacon of the church. He had a privileged upbringing, but he acknowledges that in his younger years, his faith was at best dormant, ‘we had turned away from God’. Then at the age of sixteen everything changed. As he puts it, ‘I was taken into captivity in Ireland with many thousands of people’. Without warning, he lost his family and friends, his community, his freedom of movement, his schooling. In his utter misery as a slave, he found himself becoming aware of God’s presence. He had a spiritual awakening. He speaks of ‘the great benefits and grace that the Lord saw fit to confer on me in the land of my captivity’. Even though this was a traumatic time of suffering and loneliness, he repeatedly speaks of the ‘wonderful gifts’ that the Lord gave him. He refers to ‘the great and beneficial gift of knowing and loving God’. He says, ‘the Lord indeed gave much to me, his little servant, more than as a young man I ever hoped for or even considered’. Among the many gifts the Lord gave him at this time, he says, was the gift of prayer, ‘the spirit was stirred up so that in the course of a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many in the night. This I did even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountain’. As the years of captivity passed, his prayer grew in intensity. He learned to listen carefully to the promptings of the Spirit within, giving him the guidance he needed to make important decisions. He learned to discern when the time of his captivity was coming to an end and that his ship was ready. He eventually escaped his captivity and made his way home to his family in Britain. The Lord worked powerfully in Patrick’s dark experience of captivity, and we need to be open to the ways the Lord may be working among in this dark for our nation and our world.

When Patrick arrived home, he tells us that his relatives ‘welcomed me as a son and earnestly begged me that I should never leave them, especially in view of all the hardships I had endured’. Yet, such was his openness to God’s presence and his attentiveness to the Spirit’s promptings that he became convinced he was being called back to Ireland to proclaim the faith which was now central to his life. One night he had a vision of a man called Victor who appeared to have come from Ireland with an unlimited number of letters. As he read one of them, he heard the voice, ‘We ask you, holy boy, come and walk once more among us’. Probably against his family’s wishes, he went abroad to study for the priesthood, most likely to Gaul, in preparation for his mission to the Irish. It is clear from his Confession that his subsequent mission in Ireland bore rich fruit. He wasn’t the first missionary to bring the gospel to Ireland. Earlier in the fifth century, the Bishop Palladius had founded communities of faith. However, Patrick brought the gospel to parts of the island that had never heard it, ‘in places’, he says, ‘beyond which nobody lives’. The impact of his mission was hugely significant. He speaks in his Confession of the many thousands whom he baptized in the Lord. He expresses his indebtedness to God who ‘gave me so much grace that through me people should be born again in God and afterwards confirmed, and that clergy should be ordained for them everywhere’.

We have come to share the faith that Patrick preached on our island fifteen centuries ago. We might be tempted to think that our faith is somewhat dormant, as Patrick’s was as a young man. We may be aware of what Jesus in today’s parable calls ‘darnel’ in our own personal lives, and in the life of the church as a whole. Yet, Patrick’s story reminds us that the Lord never abandons us or his church. No matter where we are in our faith journey, the Lord can break through to us in a wonderfully new way, if we give him the space to do so. Sometimes, as Patrick’s life shows us, it is often in times of great adversity that the space is created in our lives for the Lord to work powerfully within us and through us. We could all make our own Patrick’s prayer wish towards the end of his Confession, ‘I ask God for perseverance, to grant that I remain a faithful witness to him for his own sake until my passing from this life’.

And/Or

(xiv) Feast of Saint Patrick

 Some time ago I climbed Croagh Patrick for the first time in the company of my sister, Catherine, and brother-in-law, Patrick, who died a few years ago on the feast of Saint Joseph. They both lived in Southern California. Patrick, who was from the United States, was determined to climb Croagh Patrick. He was recovering from cancer at the time, and, in spite of a very bad back, he wanted to make this climb in thanksgiving for having come through his surgery and treatment so well, and, also, as a form of prayer of petition for God’s ongoing help. We managed to get to the top, just about. The Croagh Patrick climb is one expression of the cult of St. Patrick that has continued down to our time. We venerate Patrick today because he spent himself in proclaiming the gospel on this island, bringing Christ to huge numbers of people.

 It is evident from his two writings that have come down to us that Patrick came from a reasonably privileged background. His father was a town counsellor who had a comfortable house with many servants. Patrick says that he was born free, of noble rank. Then suddenly, his personal and communal landscape radically changed. At the age of sixteen, he was taken captive with others and brought to Ireland. As he says, he found himself among strangers. Gone were his comfortable home, his loving family, his freedom. He was now a slave, with no rights or protection. He was lost, without friend or future. It is hard to imagine the impact of such a traumatic experience on one so young. Yet, as he wrote his Confession in his old age, he recognizes the great gifts that came to him during this painful and lonely time of exile. Although his grandfather was a priest, and Patrick had been baptized, he acknowledges that as an adolescent he ‘did not know the true God’. He said he had turned away from God. However, in exile, while herding sheep in all kinds of weathers he had the most extra-ordinary spiritual awakening. Looking back, he speaks of the ‘great benefits and graces the Lord saw fit to confer on me in my captivity’. He speaks of the Lord’s ‘wonderful gifts, gifts for the present and for eternity, which the human mind cannot measure’. He goes on to say, ‘my faith increased and the spirit was stirred up so that in the course of a single day I could say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many in the night’.

 Many years later, he finally broke free of his captivity and made his way home to his family. Having been profoundly touched by God in the years since he left his family, he was now sensitive to the presence and the call of God in his life. Some years after returning home, he heard the Lord’s call to return to the land of his former captivity to preach the gospel. He trained for the priesthood and arrived back in Ireland, this time as a free man, or, perhaps more accurately, as the Lord’s slave or servant. He speaks of himself now as a ‘stranger and exile for the love of God’. He writes of ‘the people to whom the love of God brought me’. His mission in Ireland was fraught with dangers and difficulties of all sorts, including at times opposition from leading members of the church in Britain who had authorized his mission to Ireland. Yet, his two writings are full of a strong sense of God’s protective and guiding presence in his life. He was very aware of all the Lord was doing through him, in spite of setbacks. He writes, ‘I am very much in debt to God, who gave me so much grace that through me people should be born again in God and afterwards confirmed’. He asks, ‘What return can I make to God for all his goodness to me? What can I say or what can I promise to my Lord since any ability I have comes from him?’ Writing towards the end of his life, Patrick could see the many ways the Lord had worked powerfully through his painful experience of exile as an adolescent. Because of that traumatic experience of loss, the gospel was brought to what Patrick calls ‘the most remote districts beyond which nobody lives and where nobody had ever come to baptize, to ordain clergy or to confirm the people’.

 Patrick’s life teaches us to be attentive to the ways that the Lord may be surprisingly present in situations of great struggle that seem devoid of any value at the time. Whereas it is never the Lord’s desire that misfortune should befall us, when it does come our way, he is always there with us, working among for our good and the good of others. Perhaps our very vulnerability at such times can make us more attentive to what the Lord may want to say to us. Patrick’s experience of exile made him alert to the Lord’s call at different moments of his life. Our own experiences of exile and loss, whatever form they may take, can help to make us more alert to the Lord’s loving purpose for our lives.

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Friday, Third Week of Lent

Gospel (Except USA)

Mark 12:28-34

'You are not far from the kingdom of God'.

One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question to him, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Jesus replied, ‘This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to him, ‘Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice.’ Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to question him any more.

Gospel (USA)

Mark 12:28-34

The Lord our God is one Lord, and you shall love the Lord your God.

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Reflections (10)

(i) Friday, Third Week of Lent

When the scribe asked Jesus which was the first of all the commandments, Jesus replied by giving him not just the first but the second as well. It seems that, for Jesus, these two commandments were intrinsically linked. In quoting those two commandments, Jesus speaks of three loves, the love of God, the love of neighbour and the love of self. He connects these three loves very closely together; he suggests that they are all of a piece. Yet, he clearly declares that the first love in our lives is to be the love of God. Jesus is saying that the most important relationship in our lives to get right is our relationship with God. That relationship is right if it is a relationship of love. God is to be loved not to be feared, and God is to be loved with all our being. Our love of God is always a response to God’s love of us. This is the love that is spoken about in this morning’s first reading, ‘I will love them with all my heart’. Knowing that God loves us with all God’s heart enables us to love God with all our heart. It is our loving relationship with God that will make it possible for us to recognize God in ourselves and in others, and to love ourselves and others as God’s good creation, as images of God.

 And/Or

(ii) Friday, Third Week of Lent

In the time of Jesus it was understood that there were 613 regulations in the Jewish Law. The scribe is looking to Jesus to pick out the one commandment that underpins all the others. He wanted Jesus to help him to get to the heart of this maze of regulations. Jesus gave him what he was looking for; indeed, he gave him more. He not only gave him the most important commandment; he gave him the second most important commandment as well. Jesus could not give him one without giving him the other, because, for Jesus, there was inseparable. Yet, even though they were inseparable, they were not equal; one was first and the other was second. Even though we cannot love God without loving our neighbour, the love of God is more fundamental than the love of neighbour. Only God is worthy of all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength. God is worthy of our all, because it is only God who gives us all. As Paul says in his letter to the Romans, ‘God who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?’ Our calling here and now, and our ultimate destiny, is to love God as God loves us.

 And/Or

(iii) Friday, Third Week of Lent

Generally in the gospels the scribes of the Law and Jesus are portrayed as in conflict with one another. In this morning’s gospel, however, Jesus and a Jewish scribe are very much of the same mind. Jesus says to this particular scribe, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God’. Both are agreed on what are the two great commandments of the Law. What these two commandments have in common is the call to love; where they differ is in the object of that love. The first commandment calls us to love God and the second to love our neighbour. The priority is given to God. The two commandments also differ in the intensity of the love they command. It is only God who is to be loved with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength. It is only God who is deserving of the love of all our being. To love God in this way is to be caught up in God’s love for humanity and that is where the second commandment comes in. Love of neighbour is where the pure and total love of God invariably leads us.

 And/Or

(iv) Friday, Third Week of Lent

We all struggle to try and get our priorities right. We need to be able to sift out what is more important from what is less important. This is perhaps all the more needed today when so much comes at us from so many different directions. Today’s gospel reading is the story of a scribe who wanted to get his priorities right. He came to Jesus to know which of all the more than 600 commandments of the Jewish Law was the most important one. In reply, Jesus gave him more than he asked for, not just the first of all the commandments but the first and the second of the commandments. Jesus seemed to be saying that these two commandments were inseparable. What they have in common is the commandment to love; what distinguishes them is the object of that love, God in the case of the first commandment and neighbour in the case of the second. Also the quality of the love differs, God is to be loved with all our heart, soul, mind and strength; the neighbour is to be loved as ourselves. God alone is worthy of the total love of our being, but such love must flow over into the love of our neighbour. The journey in love to God leads us to the other; in loving God we are caught up in God’s love for others. Today, at least in our western culture, it is the first commandment rather than the second that is more liable to be neglected. Yet Jesus implies that our relationship with God is at the heart of all other relationships.

And/Or

 (v) Friday, Third Week of Lent

In this morning’s gospel reading, a scribe, an expert in the Jewish Law, asks Jesus the question, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ Given that it was understood that there were 613 commandments, this question was a sincere effort on the part of the scribe to get to the core of the Jewish Law, to separate out what really mattered from what is less important. The word that stands out in Jesus’ answer is ‘love’ and, in the first instance, the love of God. Jesus declares that God deserves a unique kind of love, a love that flows from the whole person, a love with all our heart, the seat of the will, with all our soul, the seat of desire, with all our mind, the seat of understanding, and with all our strength, understood as spiritual strength. Jesus goes on to give the scribe something he didn’t ask for, the second greatest commandment, which is to love our neighbour as ourselves. Although the love of God has priority, it flows over into love of neighbour. To draw near to God in love is to be caught up into God’s love for humanity. It has been said that we become what we love. To love God with all our being is to become God-like, to become loving in the way that God is loving.

And/Or

 (vi) Friday, Third week of Lent

This morning’s gospel reading is a friendly conversation between Jesus and a representative of a group who are normally hostile to Jesus, the scribes. This scribe asks Jesus to name the first and most important of all the commandments and there were over 600 of them. We all need to be able to prioritize, to separate out what is most important from what is less important. In answering the scribe’s question, Jesus gives him more than he asked for. Jesus not only gives him what he considers to be the first commandment, to love God with all of one’s being, but he gives the scribe what he regards as the second commandment as well, to love our neighbour as ourselves. Jesus seems to be saying that there are two commandments that stand out from all the rest, and they belong together, and within those two, priority must be given to one. He declares that the love of God and the love of neighbour are inseparable, but he doesn’t reduce the love of God to the love of neighbour. God is to be loved directly with all our faculties, heart, soul, mind and strength. Such love of God will certainly show itself in prayer and worship. Jesus also states that if this love of God is genuine it will overflow into loving our neighbour, recognizing in the neighbour the presence of Jesus and of the One who sent him. Although Jesus doesn’t explicitly say so here, this love of God which overflows into love of neighbour is a response to God’s unconditional love of us, expressed in God’s giving of his Son to us so that we may have life and have it to the full.

 And/Or

(vii) Friday, Third Week of Lent

In this morning’s first reading from the prophet Hosea, God says to the people of Israel, ‘I will love you with all my heart’, even though they had repeatedly turned away from God. In the gospel reading Jesus declares that the greatest commandment of the law is to love God with all our heart. Our love of God is always in response to God’s love for us. As Saint John reminds us in his letter, ‘We love because God first loved us’. The first love is God’s love for us. The second love is our love for God, which, as Jesus declares in the gospel reading, is inseparable from our love of our neighbour, understood as our fellow human being. Jesus brings together these two commandments of love of God and love of our neighbour which were found in different parts of the Bible. Genuine love of God in response to God’s love for us will always catch us up into God’s own love for humanity. The scribe in the gospel reading who recognized the connection between these two commandments was declared by Jesus to be ‘not far from the kingdom of God’. God’s kingdom is always present among us whenever we open ourselves to God’s love for us and respond to that love by loving God in return and loving all whom God loves. This is what we are asking for when we pray, ‘Thy kingdom come’, in the prayer Jesus gave us to pray.

 And/Or

(vii) Friday, Third week of Lent

In the time of Jesus it was understood that there were 613 regulations of the Jewish Law. In that context, the question of the scribe to Jesus in today’s gospel reading is an important one, ‘Which is the first of all the commandments?’ He was asking Jesus what was the cornerstone on which all of the rest of the law rested. In a sense he was asking, ‘What is the core of our Jewish faith?’ He wanted Jesus to help him to get to the heart of the matter. We are all searching for that core. We all want to know what really matters, in our faith, in life. We are aware that we can get hung up on non-essentials and neglect what really matters. The answer Jesus gave to the scribe is valid not just for the Jewish faith but for our own Christian faith. It is God who is central, and the most important commandment is to love God. Jesus does not say to fear God or to obey God but to love God. God’s nature is love and the appropriate way to relate to God is through love. Jesus declares that this is to be a love that embraces all of our being, all our heart, the seat of will and intellect, all our soul, the seat of desire, all our mind, the seat of understanding and all our strength, understood as spiritual strength. This is a unique love which is due to God alone and which will find expression in prayer and worship. In response to the scribes question about the first of all the commandments, Jesus goes on to give what he considers to be the second most important commandment, to love our neighbour as if he or she were an extension of ourselves. An authentic love of God will embrace the neighbour, whoever he or she may be. Jesus implies that if we truly love God we will be caught up into God’s love of all humanity.

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(viii) Friday, Third Week of Lent

In today’s gospel reading, a scribe asks Jesus an important question, ‘What is the first of all the commandments?’ He wanted Jesus to help him find the one commandment that really mattered amid the 600 or so commandments in the Jewish Law. We all find ourselves asking at times, ‘What is it that really matters in life?’ ‘What is really worth pursuing?’ Jesus answered the scribes question by giving him the two most important commandments, not just the first but the second as well. What these two commandments have in common is the call to love. The differ in the object of our love and in the totality of our love. In the first commandment it is God who is to be loved; in the second it is the neighbour. It is only God who is to be loved with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Jesus declares to the scribe that what matters most in the Jewish tradition is love, the love of God with all one’s being, overflowing into a love of those whom God loves, the neighbour. When the scribe agrees with Jesus’ answer, Jesus declares that this scribe is not far from the kingdom of God. Any Jew who lives by these two commandments of love is on the cusp of the kingdom of God that Jesus came to proclaim. Love is at the heart of the Jewish faith and it is at the heart of the gospel that Jesus preached and lived. Love, as Jesus embodied it, is at the heart of our Christian faith today. Pope Francis’ recent apostolic exhortation is entitled, ‘The Joy of Love’. The essence of our faith is love, God’s love for us in Jesus, our love for God in return, overflowing into a love of all whom God loves, all human life.

 And/Or

(ix) Friday, Third Week of Lent

There are times when we all struggle to appreciate what is most important in life. We can find ourselves putting our time and energy into what is not so important. In today’s gospel reading, a Jewish scribe, an expert in the Jewish law, asked Jesus to help him find what was most important in the Jewish Law. What did Jesus think should be given priority in all the more than six hundred commandments that were to be found in the Jewish Law? Jesus’ answer to that question was both simple and profound. God was to be given priority. That is why Jesus began his answer with the basic Jewish creed, ‘the Lord your God is the one Lord’. Then Jesus declared that in the way we relate to God, love is to be given priority, a love that springs from our whole being, our heart, understanding and strength. God and the love of God are to be our priority. However, there is a second priority which Jesus immediately mentions and that is inseparable from the first priority, and that is love of neighbour as if the neighbour were an extension of ourselves. In many ways, that second priority is less contentious today. Even those who have no religious faith can proclaim this priority of love of neighbour. It is the first priority that people may be less convinced about today. We hear much less about love of God than about love of neighbour in most of the settings in which we live and move. Jesus’ answer to the question of the scribe is a challenge to that absence. Jesus reminds us that only God is worthy of our total love, a love that proceeds from all of our being. When we love God with all we are, we will find ourselves caught up into God’s love of humanity. Our love of God will overflow into the love of our neighbour, whoever our neighbour happens to be. The national and global crisis in which we find ourselves, with all its hardship and distress for so many people, might help us to recover what is really important in life, which according to Jesus in our gospel reading is love of God and of our neighbour. A great deal is being taken away from people at this time. Such a time of traumatic and troubling loss can help us to appreciate what is really important in life, which is what the gospel reading puts before us today.

 And/Or

(x) Friday, Third Week of Lent

Today’s first reading is very striking in many ways. The Lord speaking through the prophet Hosea calls on his people to come back to him and if they do the Lord promises them to love them with all his heart. The Lord goes on to say to his people, ‘I am like a cypress ever green, all your fruitfulness comes from me’. Because the Lord alone loves us with all his heart, he alone is the source of true life for us. The Lord calls out to us in love, pleading with us to keep turning to him as the one who can allow our lives to bear rich fruit, the fruit of the Spirit. God’s life-giving love for us is the basis of Jesus’ call to us in the gospel reading to love the Lord all our heart, soul, mind and strength. If we can open ourselves to the Lord’s love for us, then we will be moved to love the Lord in return. God always loves us first and our love for God is a response to this love for us. The good news of God’s faithful, unconditional, love for us is the foundation of what Jesus calls the first commandment, to love the Lord your God with all our being, with a love that is worthy of his love for us. Our loving relationship with God in turn is the foundation of what Jesus calls the second commandment, to love our neighbour as ourselves. The more we open ourselves to God’s love for us and respond to his love by loving him, the more we will be empowered to love others with God’s own love. At the heart of our life as people of faith is love, God’s love for us, our love for him in return and the outpouring of God’s love through us onto others. When love becomes central to our lives in that sense, Jesus will say to us what he said to the scribe in today’s gospel reading, ‘you are not far from the Kingdom of God’.

 Fr. Martin Hogan.