#lance bishop imagines

[kayfeefgtrghh]

IMAGINE

Cuddling up to Lance Bishop after a long hard day. Talking into your hair about all his discoveries while you doze in and out. Leaning over him, basically laying on him, and kissing all over his face. Softly giggling while cooing at how handsome and smart he is.

He would just smile up at you and brush your hair behind your ear. Saying he's, "just an android and doesn't deserve a love like yours." So you reassure him and show him affection until he does. 💕

[mostrandomgallery]

And finally, rounding out the Cotton Candy Elephants...the pièce de résistance...Émilie LaChaise Gloucester!

Most of the students in the Cotton Candy Elephants can be read like open books, wearing their hearts on their sleeves. Émilie LaChaise Gloucester, however, is nearly impossible to read; she’s like a black hole or a blank, lacking any enthusiasm or motivation. Hard to believe she’s related to Lorenz. She’s just…there, I guess. One can imagine the mysteries of her seemingly unreadable, indifferent mind. Some believe she is devoid of emotion, some say she might have been experimented on (she's never spoken on these rumors); in truth, there is an emotion she's driven by, it's just hard to put into English. Just like Petra, Émilie is struggling to learn the standard language of Fódlan, but it adds to her charm and mystery; one could say it gives her a certain je ne sais quoi...

...Okay, she may not really care, but we need to list Émilie's battle stats:

Crest: Gloucester (major)

Heroes’ Relic/Sacred Weapon: Thyrsus, Axe of Ukonvasara

Strengths: Reason, Faith, Lance, Riding

Weaknesses: Authority, Heavy Armor, Flying

Hidden talent: Bow

Personal Skill: “C’est La Vie”—If unit takes no action, gains a 5+ boost to all stats and restores full HP

Ideal Classes: Soldier, Monk, Mage, Bishop, Warlock, Valkyrie, Dark Knight, Gremory

Learnable Magic: Miasma Δ, Swarm Ζ, Dark Spikes Τ, Banshee Θ, Luna Λ, Heal, Abraxas, Seraphim, Warp

Ideal Combat Arts: Tempest Lance, Knightkneeler, Hit and Run, Vengeance, Frozen Lance, Curved Shot, Waning Shot, Deadeye, Ward Arrow

Selection Quotes (Academy): "Who, moi?" (normal), "I could use a break…" (mid-health), "Le mort…" (critical health)

Émilie's best stats are Dex, Res, and Mag, and is best suited for the Valkyrie or Dark Knight classes, since she can just mount a horse and sleep on it until commanded to move on the battlefield. With neither a strength nor weakness in axes, she can wield the Axe of Ukonvasara, but her strengths lie in Reason (Dark), and she is surprisingly able to learn Abraxas and Seraphim without learning Nosferatu. Thyrsus, the Gloucester relic, is a perfect match for her in that 1) it's not a weapon she has to wield, so it seems useless, save for 2) boosting her magic power. She has a hidden talent in Bow, and can probably snipe out an enemy unit with a critical hit, just like Overwatch's Widowmaker. In spite of her weakness in Authority, she'd still equip a battalion to fight her battles for her.

Émilie is someone you probably need to prioritize a lot in activities and supports despite her general apathy, since her motivation is a little tricky to work with. She is hard to have a perfect tea time with even though her Cha is somewhat substantial. However, she would make an excellent candidate for the Dancer class (it'd be just as funny as making Tristesse the Dancer). For dining, Émilie likes Vegetable Pasta Salad, Small Fish Skewers, Onion Gratin Soup, Pheasant Roast with Berry Sauce, Cheesy Verona Stew, Peach Sorbet, and Gautier Cheese Gratin. She has unique dialogue with Anneliese. As for gifts, Émilie would appreciate Riding Boots, Tea Leaves, Legends of Chivalry, The History of Fódlan, Book of Crest Designs, Coffee Beans, Exotic Spices, Blue Cheese, Roses, and a Landscape Panting. While she has supports with everyone in the Cotton Candy Elephants, her inter-house supports are limited to: Lorenz, Claude, Petra, Linhardt, Lysithea, Mercedes, Cyril, Flayn, Seteth, and Hapi. As for S-Support, she is locked to Male Byleth.

A hilarious mental image I had of Émilie was if her critical activated with her cut-in portrait saying "Pardon, excusez-moi" (French is not my first language; if any French speakers are out there, correct me if the spelling/conjugation is wrong) and then landing the hit with Luna or Dark Spikes, obliterating the enemy unit, then cutting to her falling asleep on her horse saying, "You wouldn't know cool if it hit you in the face" as her stats level up. Also, her S-Support artwork should be her napping on Male Byleth's lap as she sighs "Ah, je t'aime!"

Fun Fact: Émilie's middle name, LaChaise, is derived from the French la chaise, meaning "the chair"; specifically, I had a lounging chaise in mind, since she loves reclining on something luxurious like this. Originally it was gonna be "Chantelle", but I thought "LaChaise" was a bit more fitting for this chill, serene queen.

DO NOT REPOST!!! Also on deviantART

[tvimagines221b]

Imagine: Sara Lance helping you escape Bishop, and taking you in, and her telling you that you can start a new life with The Legends.

Being stuck on that god-awful alien planet, with that psychopath, Bishop, was hell enough. But what made things so much worse for you were the experiments. The experiments and tests he would run on you. He always would tell you that you were meant for the greater good. That you would be aiding him in saving the human race. But with him, it was always one lie after another. You spent months locked in his lab. Day after day, in misery. Until one day you finally escaped. Thanks to a group of time travelers known as The Legends. Their Captain, Sara Lance had taken you in. And, you had been with them ever since escaping that planet.

Letting out a shaky breath, you were sitting on the stairs in the console room. But you weren't alone. Sara joined you.

Sara looked over at you. "Hey... Everything is going to be okay. You're safe now. Bishop can't hurt you anymore."

You looked at her. "Yeah..."

Sara Lance placed a hand on your shoulder. "Y/N, listen to me. I know you went through a lot back there. A lot more than I did. But you don't have to be scared anymore. Bishop is gone. You're safe... And, this team, we're going to look after you, okay?" Her expression softened.

You let out a shaky breath. " I just don't want to be alone anymore."

"You're not alone anymore," Sara said, gently squeezing your shoulder. "This team is a family. And you are a part of this family now. You have a second chance. A chance to start a new life. With us, if you so choose. You are a Legend now." She smiled.

[pterobat]

I want to talk about some of the tie-in stuff featuring Lance Bishop that I took in recently.

“Broken” by Rachel Caine, in the anthology Bug Hunt.

The idea that a previously-established character has to be special—bothers me a bit, and I can’t say why. I do know that I felt, after years of pushing back against the mechanistic/deterministic view of the Zentradi in Robotech and Macross fandom, it was time to accept that a character might lack something in the way of “free will” and might not be one of a kind—but still be sympathetic

However, Bishop didn’t put that egg on the Sulaco, Your Mom did, and he asked to be euthanized for firmly "human" reasons, not utilitarian ones.

Anyway, “Broken”, states that Bishop having a stronger altruistic drive than the AP norm, which very briefly leads to the possibility of him being scrapped, and then later lets him disobey orders and save some people in his non-actiony way.

It’s still mostly satisfying, except for two things: Bishop has “brothers” named after other chess pieces (except "Queen" because of cowardice), and while that’s cute, it’s at the expense of the Frankenstein-ish story in the novel below, where he shares the name with his "Father".

Secondly there’s the groaner when the last scene of the story leads right into Bishop meeting Apone’s unit after being repaired by Hudson and the Knife Trick getting brought up already.

William Gibson’s Alien 3 (Novel and Comic Version):

To steal from Dostoevsky, all versions of Alien 3 are stupid in their own way. It’s hard to think of where to go from Aliens, though it’s not my job to do so, right?

At least there’s no chance of Gibson’s version being lionized as a course-correction or a bold strike against some imagined saccharine future. Instead we get something that’s readable and likeable enough, but pretty bland. Kind of like Hicks as the main, really—nothing against the dude, but there’s just not much going on with him.

Part of it’s not the fault of Gibson: he had to write out Ripley, but man, you don’t have to give it a gold star just for otherwise trying. I can also see how the Xenomorphs as a Thing-esque virus would occur to writers, but it just doesn’t feel right.a

Also, for what’s supposed to be a riff on the Cold War and MAD, the Union of Progressive Peoples are cartoonishly silly, constantly thinking about “capitalism” while capitalism doesn't think of them, while the narrative makes a point of how run-down and crappy their tech is.

Even Bishop notices that without any spite, while the UPP are harsh towards him out of an understandable vision of worker’s rights, but in a Dolyist sense is only there to make them more unsympathetic and caricatured.

As for Bishop, he’s fun to follow because I like reading about him just being totally chill about everything, still without coming across as heartless. But he doesn’t have much of his sense of weirdness or of that awkward kindliness that makes his character more interesting than the average friendly AP.

Two more things: I was first harsh on the idea that an ovomorph would grow from Bishop’s exposed guts, but I came around when I realized it was an example of a slightly-more grounded Xenomorph evolution/adaptation than the virus, just putting more of the mechanical in bio-mechanical—plus it was the only example of gender fuckery to be found for miles.

Secondly, I liked his quiet little monolgue at the end that humanity ought to destroy Xenomorphs for their own good. It’s the usual trope of having a heroic character fascinated by monsters, who must prove they are still heroic by killing or opposing them.

Aliens: Bishop by T.R. Napper

It’s funny that this book came out last December, like it was waiting for me to start thinking about the character again.

Sadly, the original characters were not so entertaining, which is often but not always the curse of tie-in fiction. It’s another reason why it’s hard for me to be fannish about the larger Alien-a-verse besides not much of it sounding interesting.

It doesn’t help that the story starts out with a USC Marine mission lead by an Apone, with a male corporate stooge on board, and our new MC gets the nickname “Cornbread” within a few pages—come on with this. Otherwise, she’s like Hicks in the sense of readable and serviceable.

To go back to Alien 3 for a second, and franchising in general—they repeat themes and motifs because that makes the selling easy, and you can make a keen case for “The Real Enemy is Man” being a theme of the Alien universe.

Because of that, having Michael Bishop be who/what he said he was makes the most sense if you want not only a thematic through-line but the Frankenstein-ish subtext of the book which is like catnip to me.

Normally resurrection is thematically cheap in fiction, but given that Alien 3 comes off as cheap (lazy) to begin with, and we’re dealing with an AP, and the results are interesting, it doesn’t take much to win me over.

I don’t know how much research the author did, or if it’s just serendipty, but Henriksen said he played Bishop as an abused child, as a being who knew he was disposable but consoled himself by knowing he’d outlive those who could hold that over him. And even though they look the same age, the abusive-father subtext is all over this. Michael is nice enough until he doesn’t get what he wants after being “patient” and “giving”.

And speaking of franchises and theming, something about creator/creation in the Alien series no longer feels out of place in post-Prometheus world, even if the execution in those movies was a letdown.

Transhumanism also comes into the picture, and while it first seemed Michael would steal Bishop’s new body, instead Michael wants to transfer his body digitally and succeeds. It also feels out of place in the larger franchise, but I might check out a sequel.

I also wish the book were more creative about trying to do something with the Xenomorphs. Michael pretends it’s about something different as part of his manipulation, but alas it’s the same old militarization.

It’s kind of funny that Bishop meets the captured Morse who quirkily tells him a few things about how humans don’t value other humans. It helps Bishop get rid of the last vestiges of attachment to his Shitty Dad, and Bishop otherwise returns to the same place he was before, just with a new unit.

I was waiting for some other shoe to drop, but the Apone #2 unit appeared to have no ulterior motivations when it came to finding Bishop. Returning to a quiet status quo does suit him in a way, since Bishop is so chill about everything.

The book also establishes that Bishop asked to be euthanized because of grief. I didn't want a purely utilitarian reason like reaching a damage threshold that cheapie W-Y labelled unsalvageable--that doesn't work narratively/tonally/emotionally--but it was enough to think poor Bishop decided on death because he couldn’t ever reach adequate quality of life.

So a lot of fun here, even what with the brief moments where Bishop is emotionally demonstrative or fights physically and it’s cringe-inducing rather than an extrapolation of the character.

[quietanddistantandremorseful]

Proof of nothing other than my brain's weird priorities.

(Before I start babbling, may Teri Garr's soul be at peace, and may her memory be a blessing.)

So, while on The Otxher Site, I saw, among the remembrances of Teri Garr, musician Stephen Bishop mentioning he started being friends with Teri Garr when she was roommates with his friend Carrie Fisher. And I lost a little time wishing there'd been a late 70's buddy sitcom with the two of them.

And I saw Marilu Henner remembering Garr's acting in One from the Heart with Henner's former husband, and wishing she would have had a chance to work with Ms Garr.

After that, while surfing The Otxher Site, I a saw screenshot of a panel from Gail Simone's run on Birds of Prey, and spent a chunk of time trying to remember the storyline it was from.

And now, I can't stop imagining Simone-penned BoP storylines with Henner as Barbara Gordon/Oracle , Fisher as Helena Bertinelli/Huntress, and Garr as Dinah Lance/Black Canary.

Ms. Garr trained as a dancer and worked as a dancer for a long time, so imagine Black Canary fight scenes along the lines of Summer Glau in Serenity...

It never really could have happened. But goddamn, wouldn't that be something to see?

[laurensxdeath]

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YES YES YES THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SCREAM ABOUT MY BELOVEDS!!!

1. Comfort characters - Root, Alice, Sameen Shaw, Thirteenth Doctor, Yasmin Khan, Laura De Mille, Rita Farr, Eleanor Levetan, Sara Lance, Kate Whistler, Lucy Tara, Regina Mills, Maura Isles, Jane Rizzoli, Skye/Daisy Johnson, Emily Prentiss, Miranda Croft, Nicole Haught, Waverly Earp, Lena Luthor, Tamsin, Maddie Buckley, Judy Hale, Villanelle, Maya Bishop, Yelena Belova, Arlecchino, Jean, Raiden/Ei

4. which cryptyd being do you believe in? - Aliens!! I think they count. So much of the universe is unexplored, it's pretty impossible that there's nothing else out there. Also - Ghosts and giant bats.

5. What colour are your eyes - blue!! But like a grey blue.

6. Why did you do that? - I have made countless impulsive decisions the last few days. Please be more specific :[[[ yeah that dude deserved to be stabbed. (I'm kidding..) maybe

13. When was the last time you ate? - About 5 hours ago

19. imagine we’re at a sleepover, would you paint my nails? - I definitely would!!!! I would try very hard to be neat but still manage to get nail paint everywhere..

20. do you say soda or pop? - neither, we call it fizzi here :P dunno if it's a country thing or just something my family does!

27. about how many hours of sleep did you get? - last night, about 6

34. is there a song you know every word to by heart? - a few Taylor Swift ones!!

44. you get a free pass to kill anyone, who is it? - do they have to be a real person. There are many fictional characters I hate. UHh, if it was a real person, I won't go into details and just say. A. Guy.

47. what was the last message you sent? - I sent a meme to my best friend

50. can i tag you in random stuff? - PLEASEEEE fucking do <3

[dejanay]

OBJECTRONPA CHAPTER 1:TIME TO TAKE THE PLUNGE!(SPOILERS!

WARING!!!:the following archive will contain spoilers for Objectronpa:Battle Of Despairing Inanimate High that may not be suitable for some who prefer not to be spoiled people who do not want to be spoiled please do not interact and if you own or have Wattpad please click off or scroll down immediately viewer description is advised.

CHAPTER 1 Daily Life:Motive(Spoilers!)Motive:The students are giving a photo of a random loved one and if no one would kill in the next 4 days that loved one will die

CHAPTER 1 Deadly Life:Victim Reveal(Spoilers!)

Victim:Liy Sewch, The Ultimate Mechanic

Time Of Death:8PM to 10PM

Cause Of Death:Stab in the chest with a knife

The Body Was Found In:her Dormroom

CHAPTER 1 Trial and Post Trial :Blackened Reveal and Execution(Spoilers!)

Blackened:Clock Timeline, The Ultimate Chess Player

Reason:Liy tried to kill him but he fought back in self-defense and accidentally stabbed her

Execution:Clock has been found guilty time for the punishment

Clock was to busy looking around in the trial room sweating. the look of guilt creep down on his face as everyone looked at him with concern and fear back it wasn’t moments later a chain came down from the ceiling and clipped onto his neck which pulled him back to reality he looked down at the chain that was on his neck in horror as it began to put him up to his demise clock scream in terror as he was pulling up a way from the trial room a way from everyone he knew a way from the stranger he call his friends before all of this before he kill Liy before he was going to die, clock was in nothing but despair if only he didn't make the stupid choice of taking a life of this all would been prevented a few seconds later the chain releases him as he fell down he closes eyes waiting for some impact to end him right there until the falling stops he fell on something other than the ground minutes later he opens his eyes find out that he was okay imagining this was unreal he looked around from his surroundings to find out where he was it didn’t take long for him to realize that he’s on a massive chessboard with pieces the size of actual people had been set up.

each of the pieces were carved to look like the different soldiers they represented, carrying different weapons; the pawns were given handaxes, the rooks were given longswords, the knights were on horseback with lances, the bishops were given staff-like halberds, and the queens were given axes long and sharp enough to belong to an executioner.

Well, aside from the kings. The kings were instead set up as podiums.

The black king had a throne, with a grinning Monokuma sitting on it.

As for clock, he was shackled on top of the white king with heavy chains.

He was terrified – he was about to die, after all – until Monokuma gave him a signal.

It was his move.

CHECKMATE!!:Ultimate Chess Player, Clock Timeline’s Execution

Clock couldn’t help but smirk to himself.

He had to beat Monokuma in a chess match?He was the Ultimate Chess Player! This peasant would have to try harder than that!

He ordered one of his pawns two spaces forward, to which Monokuma responded with a similar move.It didn’t take long before clock fell back into his usual rhythm.

He took black piece after black piece, not losing any of his own while Monokuma’s army was whittled down one by one.He smiled victoriously to himself.

He was doing this! he might be able to escape!In a matter of minutes, only the black king and queen were left, and all of the white pieces still remained on the board.

He flashed a smirk to Monokuma chuckling villainously and said“what’re you gonna do now?”

The bear’s brow was furrowed in irritation and sweat was dripping down his forehead.He growled out “oh, fuck it!” before reaching behind the throne and pulling out a massive gatling gun.

The smirk practically fell off of clock’s face.Without any warning, the gatling gun roared to life and a spray of bullets flew forward.

First effortlessly crumbling one of his bishops to a pile of rubble, then doing the same to one of his knights.

Clock started panicking and immediately tried to get his pieces to dodge.

It was no use.

One by one, each of his pieces was shredded to rubble by the bullets.Just as quickly as he did to Monokuma, the white king was the only piece left.

Clock had no way to defend himself.

Monokuma laughed to himself as the black queen slowly made its way forward square by square, tapping him axe against his free hand like a street gangster would do with a bat.It eventually was right in front of him, its shadow completely covering him.

It raised its axe.

Clock shook in terror, tears beading in the corner of his eyes as he choked out a pathetic cry.

The black queen brought down its axe.

Both the white king and what was formerly the Ultimate Chess Player were crushed into pieces with a mighty smash.

WARING!!!:this following archive is and will contain spoilers of my upcoming wattpad story objectronpa

[daz4i]

idk how the plot will work but for now. here's everyone's strengths and weaknesses and ideal classes (also fuck gendered classes you don't need a pussy to ride a pegasus.) (also god i hope the colors thing works or else this will be unreadable)

ada:

head of the "house", fukuzawa: sword. obviously. i wanna say one of those hidden strengths i forgot the name of in reason. authority. heavy armor. flying. ideal as a mortal savant but that's kinda wack so it's better to make him an assassin who specializes in swords

i forgot. the word. for second in command. but. kunikida: lance. riding. heavy armor. authority. reason. good as a holy knight (which ik is considered bad but i have a soft spot for it) or great knight

ranpo: faith. reason. brawl. axe. lance. honestly he would be ideal as a bishop or warlock. let him attack from afar and not try too hard

yosano: faith, obviously. reason (dark magic, to make it spicy). riding. no weaknesses bc we need someone like that in every "house". excellent gremory or valkyrie

tanizaki: bow. budding talent (i think that's the word for the hidden one??) in lance. faith. axe. ideal as a bow knight or just keep him as a sniper. bonus: if you decide to teach him reason, he also gets dark magic

kenji: brawl. axe. heavy armor. reason. bow. he was the easiest one so far obvious he's a war master

dazai: sword. reason (dark). budding talent in faith. flying (trust me bro). brawling. axe. heavy armor. he was meant to be a trickster so badly. he needs to wear a clown outfit it's only fair. ig a dark flier can work too tho

atsushi: brawl. lance. faith. flying. bow. reason. great war monk. can be a holy knight if you wanna

kyouka: SWORD. bow. riding bc i think she'd love horses. brawling. axe. authority. awesome assassin. possibly a falcon knight who specializes in swords or bow knight

pm:

head of the "house", mori: faith. reason (dark). authority. easy. lance. axe. brawling. ideal as a gremory or dark bishop. trickster if you wanna get spicy with it.

second in command, kouyou: sword, flying, authority. brawl, bow, faith. please make her a falcon knight i think it'd be hot

chuuya: brawl. axe. budding talent in faith. no weaknesses. war master or war monk but he has great speed growth so you could easily make him an assassin if you really want to

akutagawa: bow. reason (dark). flying. brawl. axe. authority. dark flier but he could pull off dark knight i think (it already looks like his rashomon armor)

higuchi: flying. faith. bow. sword. she's a bit of a wildcard like that. reason. heavy armor. honestly I'm imagining her like petra, where she can do almost everything so may as well go feral but you should probably put her on a wyvern or pegasus with a bow in her hands

gin: sword. bow. easy. faith. reason. riding. obviously she is an assassin

tachihara: brawl. axe. i promise I'm not just biased bc he shares an english va with caspar. budding talent in sword (you know why 🤫). riding. reason. make him a war master or wyvern rider

hirotsu: reason. faith. riding. axe. heavy armor. brawl. make him a gremory or dark flier who also heals

q: REASON (dark ofc). bow. authority. axe. faith. brawl. dark flier or valkyrie or just dark bishop really is good

kajii: bow. flying. budding talent in reason. faith. sword. authority. another wildcard but you should probably put him on a wyvern with a bow or make him a dark flier (i think he'd like flying above the battlefield throwing fireballs)

ok. not doing the guild or other organizations for now (doa/rats as sewer gang, hunting dogs + government guys as the church, guild as the remaining "house") i might add these in another reblog along with a possible plot idea or like what's the deal and why we're all here etc

hope you liked it and it wasn't too much 🫡 if you have hotter takes for those i already posted, or ideas for future characters I'll talk abt, or plot ideas etc, feel free to join me in brainstorming!!

eyes snap open violently. i need to make another au

[babbling-idiot]

Lance Bishop x reader (Aliens)

Requested: "Yo dude! Would you be able to write a Bishop x reader where the reader is kinda depressed and the only thing that cheers her up is singing? So to help her feel better Bishop puts on some 70s music and they’re slow dancing and she’s singing and it’s just a cute happy time???? " By @soggy-enchilada

Warning: Fluff

(Hey there, so I haven't posted in a hot second. I just had some really bad writers block and also the fact that I run out of ideas pretty frequently, so in conclusion to that ordeal I made a second blog but don't worry I still check this one, but anyways I hope you enjoy!)

Bishop wasn't one that really understood human emotions well. All he knew was the way people acted towards certain things. He understood anger and how it starts, he also kind of understood happiness. And as of feelings of being sad, he had a hard time understanding. He had seen some people cry because of a death or a breakup. But he just didn't understand when you got sad.

You had been setting yourself at a distance. Not talking or being in contact with anyone, this was making alot of people worried. Truth be told, you had been feeling depressed lately. Over something that some would probably scoff at, but to you this was a matter of your emotions getting the better of you. You couldn't help it, you were human and that had disadvantages in a way. You hadn't told anyone of your current situation, but you could only imagine what people were thinking when they realized you were missing in action. You knew you would have to give some kind of explanation to them when you came out of your room. And thankfully non of them had came to your room yet to question you. Or at least that was what you thought, because at that very second a certain android had realized your absence and was beginning to get quite worried for you. So, to make sure you were ok he was on his way to your room. Without you knowing of course.

'Knock, Knock'

You look over at your door from your sitting position on your bed. Giving a slight questioning look. You hear two more and a voice that sounded almost like an automated voice mail. "Y/n are you in there?" It was bishop. Of course it was him, of course he'd come here. You sighed out and gave a "Yeah..." barley above a whisper, yet he could still hear it loud and clear. So he opened your door with little to no trouble even though it was locked. "How did you do that?" "Do what?" You gestured to the door. "Oh well that is best explained at another time, my main concern is you. Are you ok? Why haven't you left your room? Have you eaten?" He started to ramble off question that you barley had enough time to even grasp. You raise a hand and he stops "Bishop, I haven't left because I'm not in the best......state? And yes, I have eaten just not alot.." He blinks a few time and stand up to observe the "food" you had eaten in the past day or two. Which did not look like enough to even satisfy someone. "You are not in a good healthy state right now. You have not eaten enough food and I have to get you some. I'll be right back." He says as he walks towards the door. "Wait! No! Don't leave!" He stops as he grasps the door nob. Turning to look at you he tilts his head. "But you need food." "I will eat if you just stay, I don't want to be alone. I thought I wanted to be alone but I dont now." He nods his head and walks over to your bed, sitting at your feet. "What is the matter? I am not capable of knowing how you really feel so please tell me. I am concerned about you." He says looking at you with hope in his eyes? "I promise I will tell you what I'm going though, but I dont think I have the guts to tell you." He stares at you blankly "Are these signs of depression?" You frown slightly while nodding your head. He nods his head and doesn't say anything else. He doesn't know what else to talk about and neither do you. It wasn't an awkward silence but it was comfortable. The fact that he wasn't like all the others who would bombard you with endless question made you happy. In all the short silence you had been singing a song in your head, it being 'How deep is your love by the Bee Gees. You hadn't even realized till now that you had been humming it out loud for about a minute. Bishop had heard you humbing and recognized the song and soon realized that you had a record player in your room. You also had a box full of records. So he stood and walked over to them without you actually noticing. He grabbed the Bee Gees best hits record and began to place it on the player. After turning it on and placing the needle on the right song, it began to play.

'I know your eyes in the morning sun. I feel you touch me in the poring rain. And the moment you wander far from me. I wanna feel you in my arms again...'

When the song filled your ear you smiled. Lifting your head to look straight at bishop as he gave a almost near perfect human smile. He extended his hand towards you. Grabbing it it was slightly cold but from the heat of the blankets made it slightly warmer. He twirled you around as you stood up fully and brung you closer. You laughed at how cliche this was. Bringing both hands to your waist and your on his shoulders, you both began to sway to the rhythm of the music. As you danced you began to sing.

"-And you come to me on a summer breeze, keep me warm in your love and then softly leave, and it's me you need to show, how deep is your love?"

You felt so at ease and so happy that you hadn't even realized that a smile had broken across your face as you sang. This was the only thing that made you happy in times like this. Either it was watching people get joy out of singing or listening to your favorite songs and belching out the words, it was all the same. Like now, you had found so much peace that you had layed your head on bishops shoulder, softly singing the rest of the song. He fully wraps his arms around your waist and brings you closer, he could feel your calm heartbeat against is synthetic chest. He wasn't human, but the feeling of your heartbeat against him made him feel alive. Made him wish he was human just so he could feel the emotion of being happy in the moment with you.

When the song began to come to a stop and "Staying Alive" began to play. He walked over to it and turned it down slightly. Walking back over to your standing form he held you against him once again. You smiled at him. "Your a good dancer bishop." "I was simply swaying to the music." "You have rhythm, not alot of people can say they have that especially androids. Plus your very nice to be around." You say as you lay your head back on his shoulder. He then lays his upon yours "You are the only human that has ever shown me real signs of care and compassion. I think I have grown to like you y/n." You smile even wider at this "I think I have too bishop." You both continue to sway to the beat. No word were spoken and the dancing wasn't looking to be stopped anytime soon. But one thing was for sure, that your small episode of depression had seemed to fade off into the distance. Like a forgotten tune. One that you hope would stay away for a long time. Especially since bishop had decided to come in and dance with you, it seemed to make your whole gloomy day brighten up. And luckily during that whole dancing you managed to not step on his toes.

(Well then that was actually really fun. Lmao! Thank you so much for this, it was fun and I got to bring out the inner music geek within me so thank you for that. Old music is like my things so any request like this I will put heart and soul into. Anyways thanks again and I hope you have an amazing day and stay safe out there in the world!)

[classic80sand90smovieloves2]

Meeting and Dating Bishop

(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)

- You met Bishop when he was stationed on the same ship as you. He was your teams resident artificial person and was tasked with keeping the ship up and running, as well as dissecting, examining and inspecting the alien life that your team was supposed to be finding. 

- You were a new recruit so you felt a bit out of place when you awakened from your hypersleep. Being surrounded by strangers in the middle of space is a bit jarring. 

- It was meal time when the two of you actually met. You were the last one inside the room and felt a bit awkward finding a place amongst the nearly full table, especially since the rest of your crewmates already seemed so friendly with each other. 

- But you couldn't just stand around and starve so you took your time grabbing your food and looking around the table to try and find a spot you could take up. That was when a voice came from beside you.

“You must be Y/n. I’m Bishop, I’ll be working with you in the lab.” Glancing up, you were met with a slightly cold yet inviting face. You quickly dropped your utensils onto your tray and took his outstretched hand, giving him a smile.

- The two of you made conversation as he led you over to the table, purposefully taking a seat with enough space beside it for you to sit in. To say that you were grateful for the simple act of kindness was an understatement. You could have kissed him ...and maybe, deep down, you actually wanted to.

- Over the next few months, you and the android grew close, working side by side and leaning more about each other. He was sweet and made you feel welcome on the ship that seemed slightly terrifying just a few weeks prior.

- To be honest, you’d felt a bit silly when you first realized that you had feelings for him. He was synthetic after all; you weren’t sure if he could even feel love the way humans could. But it seemed as though fate was on your side since it wasn’t long before he confessed his feelings to you.

- The two of you were in the lab; as per usual, when he asked if he could talk to you about “something ...personal”. You agreed and soon enough he was telling you that he was fairly sure that he was in love with you. To his delight, you confessed that you loved him back and the two of you went back to your work with smiles on your faces.

- You had your first date late one night when everyone else had already gone to bed. He’d approached you after dinner and asked you to follow him, taking you down a few deserted hallways and leading you to a big window that was sat in one of the secluded corners of the ship. When you looked outside, you were met with one of the most beautiful views of space you had ever seen.

- The two of you sat there for a long time, saying nothing yet perfectly content in the silence. It was there that he kissed you for the first time, bathed in the blue hues from the window and with no one around to disturb you. It was perfect, everything you could have ever hoped for and more.

- After that, there was no way you could ever part from him and him from you.

- He likes Pda but he prefers to keep it to a minimum just to remain professional. He usually just wraps an arm around your waist or kisses your cheek, little things like that.

- Something tells me that Androids are cold; like whenever you kiss him or touch his skin, it’s like you’re touching something that isn’t alive. It’s something you’ll certainly have to get used to.

- He holds your hand in both of his whenever the two of you talk or are just sitting together. It’s sort of just a habit of his.

- On that note, he loves feeling your touch. The warmth and softness of your hands is incredibly comforting to him. He’s never felt anything like it.

- Bishops extremely curious about human life so he’s happy to have someone who’s willing to divulge some information. He’s going to ask you a lot of questions, some generic and some personal. He finds you incredibly fascinating and has no problem telling you that.

- He could sit and listen to you talk about nothing for hours; and sometimes he actually does. Your voice is alluring to him.

- He doesn’t quite understand nicknames or pet names. Don’t you like your name? He likes your name, why would you want to hear anything else?

- Bishop is somewhat eager for acceptance. Not a ton of people treat him as a full fledged member of the team or completely human so he finds your relationship to be both refreshing and touching.

- Getting to see all of his little knife tricks.

- Androids have enhanced speed and strength so he tries his best to be careful and gentle with you; which he pretty much is just by nature. He never wants to accidentally hurt you.

- He isn’t quite sure how to react to affection when you first start your relationship. He feels the urge to thank you whenever you kiss his cheek.

- Your beds aren’t the biggest so cuddling is a bit of a challenge at times. He’s pretty skinny so you could be able to spoon; or he’s perfectly fine with you laying on top of him.

- Long hugs. He likes to press his cheek against the top of your head whenever you wrap your arms around each other.

- Stealing kisses whenever you can. He leans down and presses a kiss to your lips whenever he goes to look over your shoulder at something.

- For someone whose never been kissed, he’s a surprisingly good kisser. Firm yet soft and surprisingly passionate when the two of you have no way of being interrupted.

- Wearing his dog tags around the ship. He likes to tell you that they look better on you.

- Name a “person” more selfless than Bishop. This man would quite literally die for you. You constantly have to remind him to look out for himself and that he deserves to have a life outside of helping others.

- He’s fairly reserved, mainly keeping to himself during the day though he does enjoy having your company. He likes when you sit with him in the lab while he does his work, your presence makes things more fun.

- Spending long nights together, you’re either working in the lab or trying to make up for the lack of time the two of you get with each other during the day without having to work.

- He loves compliments, mainly because he rarely ever gets them. Doing a good job is sort of just expected of him so whenever you treat it like it’s more than nothing, he’s in utter bliss.

- Sharing food. He’s always happy to give you some of his.

- Getting shown the most beautiful parts of the universe around you. He likes showing you them, watching the expression on your face and taking in the sight of your amazement as the colors of the scene are painted across your face.

- He’ll explain his programming to you without a second thought if you seem the least bit put off or frightened by him, or if you just ask.

- He is a technician so if you ever have a problem with anything aboard the ship or at home, just let him know and the problem will be resolved in minutes.

- He gets offended when people aren’t polite to him and will take particular offense when they aren’t polite to you. He doesn’t like people who don’t treat you with respect and behaves coldly towards them whenever he sees them.

- Manners mean something to him so you best believe he uses his. Chivalry is not dead, it’s just not human.

- He always remembers your anniversary and birthday. He’s insists on getting you something, even if you tell him you don’t want anything.

- Well, you’re sort of stuck on a spaceship so the two of you can’t have too many “real” dates. You have to get creative if you want to something special. Otherwise, he’s perfectly content with having a relaxing night in.

- Board games. They’re a fun way to pass the time and he likes keeping somewhat busy.

- He always stays by your side whenever he can. At meal time, he’ll always take a seat next to yours or keep you close as he grabs your plates. You’re tasked with holding said plates when Hudson asks him to do something.

- Hudson; and some of the others, definitely tease the two of you. The moment they find out about your relationship, they are on your ass about it and won’t leave you alone for like a week.

- I get this feeling that he’s a good cook and that he finds cooking to be entertaining. It’s sort of like the work he does but without as much potential danger.

- He loves when the two of you get back from missions and can live somewhat normal lives. Being able to go on dates, and act like a real boyfriend is heaven.

- While he is very human-like, he doesn’t quite feel emotions the same way humans do. He does feel them, but not to the extent of organic beings. They’re sort of calmed down a bit, like they’ve been watered down.

- With that being said, some of his reactions to things are a bit lackluster though he does try to exaggerate his responses a bit. He wants you to know that he cares and is feeling the same thing you are, just in his own synthetic way.

- He doesn’t really get jealous but whenever he does, he’s too confused by his feelings to really register what he’s actually upset over. If you ask him if he ever gets jealous, he’ll reply with a no, if you ask him again, he’ll jokingly ask you if he should be.

- He’s always looking out for you. It could be because he’s protective of you or just because he cares, but the main point is that he has your back and isn’t going to let anything happen to you.

- Is he your boyfriend or is he your father, sometimes it’s hard to tell. He warns you about things like you’re a little girl and makes sure you’ve eaten and slept enough or are wearing enough clothes to stay warm. It’s both touching and slightly hilarious.

- He’s the perfect partner to have if you’re shy or the runt of the litter; so to speak. He doesn’t let people push you around or leave you out of things.

- The two of you rarely ever fight. He isn’t programmed to hurt people so you have to understand that whatever he may have done to upset you was purely accidental or against his own control. Whenever he does manage to hurt you, he always calmy apologizes and tells you that it wasn’t his intention.

- He doesn’t say he loves you very often but he does say it. He’ll usually say the words when he’s going somewhere or doing something risky, or when it’s just really warranted.

- Now, I’m not sure on the rules of Android and human marriage but I do know that you have a long and loving relationship ahead of you.

[bookofmormonmemes]

Just saying, if the Voltron team WAS Mormon…

Lance is a) the home teacher that keeps asking out the girls he home teaches

b) keeps telling girls that he’s received a spiritual prompting to marry them

Hunk always wins the ward chili bake offs 

Keith and Lance were the ones you had to worry about on scout trips bc they would keep pranking each other/daring each other to do dumb things

Allura has to wear a fake engagement ring to stop guys from proposing to her 

Shiro is the golden Mormon boy and was the Super Missionary (zone leader, more baptisms than Alma, etc) 

(submitted by @ravengrangergirl)

i support this and am also now imagining lance & hunk and allura & shay as the best cutest awesomest missionary companions ever

[hoopskirtsociety]

The Black Saint Maurice: Knight of the Holy Lance.

" chose to die rather than persecute Christians,"

( excerpt from article piece below. Originally found on atlantastar.com)

Of all the many Black men in the history of Europe, few have excited the imagination more than Saint Maurice. He was a Black saint in an area then and now that has very few Black inhabitants. He was also a Black knight. Indeed, we could call him a knight in shining armor. He is no less than remarkable.

The name Maurice is derived from Latin and means “like a Moor.” The Black Saint Maurice (the Knight of the Holy Lance) is regarded as the great patron saint of the Holy Roman Germanic Empire. He is also known, especially in Germany, as Saint Mauritius. The earliest version of the Maurice story and the account upon which all later versions are based, is found in the writings of Bishop Euchenus of Lyons, who lived more than 1500 years ago. According to Eucherius, Saint Maurice was a high official in the Thebaid region of Southern Egypt — a very early center of Christianity.

Specifically, Maurice was the commander of a Roman legion of Christian soldiers stationed in Africa. By the decree of Roman emperor Maximian, his contingent of 6,600 men was dispatched to Gaul and ordered to suppress a Christian uprising there. Maurice disobeyed the order. Subsequently, he and almost all of his troops were martyred when they chose to die rather than persecute Christians, renounce their faith and sacrifice to the gods of the Romans. The execution of the Theban Legion occurred in Switzerland near 

Aganaum (which later became Saint Maurice-en-Valais) on Sept. 22, either in the year 280 or 300.

[heyfarfallina]

I posted 1,696 times in 2022

That's 1,655 more posts than 2021!

317 posts created (19%)

1,379 posts reblogged (81%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@captain-mayabishop

@lacallemojada

@mayasdeluca

@capitano-marina

@heywhereisperry

I tagged 1,597 of my posts in 2022

Only 6% of my posts had no tags

#station 19 - 413 posts

#maya bishop - 326 posts

#carina deluca - 304 posts

#danielle savre - 226 posts

#stefania spampinato - 184 posts

#maya x carina - 108 posts

#legends of tomorrow - 58 posts

#danielle et stefania à paris - 54 posts

#marina fanfiction - 42 posts

#the l word generation q - 40 posts

Longest Tag: 114 characters

#still looking for this jacket of maya and b pointed out there’s logo on its sleeve but we couldn’t figure out what

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

sunshine ☀️

129 notes - Posted May 19, 2022

#4

Maya Bishop & Carina DeLuca - Station 19

Sara Lance & Ava Sharpe - Legends of Tomorrow

See the full post

129 notes - Posted June 1, 2022

#3

imagine them getting called at school bc their kid/s got into trouble. 🤧

136 notes - Posted May 20, 2022

#2

See the full post

148 notes - Posted May 20, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

239 notes - Posted November 17, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[just-my-fandom]

Tag List ‘22-‘23 !!

Below are the tag lists for every fandom I write. You can request to be added (and/or removed) if desired

Some profiles do not show up!! (If you are highlighted white) please let me know if you have changed your name or switched profiles :).

EDIT: Writing NEW fics has been postponed until late January 2023!! Any current drafts I will try to finish and post to make up. Coming up list posted soon.

Marvel

• Thor Odinson- None yet

• Yelena Belova- @snooy245 @castortheghost @yelenabelova-wife

• Natasha Romanoff- None yet

• Wanda Maximoff- None yet

• Sam Wilson- None yet

• Bucky Barnes- None yet

• Steve Rogers- None yet

• Tony Stark- None yet

• Kate Bishop- None yet

• Peter Parker- None yet

• Michelle Jones- None yet

• Ned Leeds- None yet

DC

• Cisco Ramon- (One After Another story) @intoomanyfandom-s @thebloodrobin @thecatemacbeth7 @badasspolygenderfriend @writeroutoftime

• Barry Allen- None yet

• Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost- None yet

• Harry Wells- None yet

• Harrison Wells- None yet

• Any Wells’ not included- None yet

Stranger Things

• Billy Hargrove- @writer-of-camelot @intheendyouwillalwayskneel @hanoil15 @meaganjm @isistersuck @sweetdayme4427 @noodlenerd101

• Steve Harrington- @irreplaceable-ecstasy @rexorangecouny @fraeppuccino @spider-boyparker @itsfangirlmendez @tellmyselfies @xkotkuu @scarletmeii @krazykatkay456 @idumpyourgrass @strangerpotternatural

• Joyce Byers- @witching-imagines @teenwolflover28 @irreplaceable-ecstasy @icgaf

• Max Mayfield- @folly-olly @chincillagirl18

• Gareth Emerson- @emersongareth @krys-orion

• Dustin Henderson- None yet

• Mike Wheeler- None yet

• Eddie Munson- None yet

• Lucas Sinclair- None yet

• El- None yet

• Jim Hopper- None yet

Criminal Minds

• Jj Jureau- None yet

• Spencer Reid- None yet

• Aaron Hotchner- None yet

• Emily Prentiss- None yet

• David Rossi- None yet

• Luke Alvez- None yet

• Penelope Garcia- None yet

• Derek Morgan- None yet

Ninjago

• Cole Brookstone- None yet

• Kai Smith- None yet

• Lloyd Garmadon- None yet

• Jay Walker- None yet

• Zane Julien- None yet

• Nya Smith- None yet

• Wu Garmadon- None yet

• Garmadon- None yet

Voltron

• Keith Kogane- @boiled-onionrings

• Hunk Garrett- None yet

• Pidge Holt- None yet

• Shiro- None yet

• Lance McClain- None yet

Outer Banks

• JJ Maybank- @sinisterspidey @parkerhale13 @thoughts-elsewhere @b-lueberryy @deamus-liv @bubs-world @bibliophilewednesday @sexualparkour @jjpouggues @poguestyle17

• John B Routledge- None yet

• Kiara- None yet

• Pope Hayward- None yet

• Topper Thornton- None yet

• Rafe Cameron- None yet

• Sarah Cameron- None yet

Encanto

• Camillo Madrigal- @afluffyboi @bandshirts-andbooks @cloudysskies @erinisrightthere @alexloveskii

• Luisa Madrigal- None yet

• Maribel Madrigal- None yet

• Isabella Mardrigal- None yet

• Bruno Madrigal- None yet

The Black Phone

• Vance Hopper- None yet

• Robin Arellano- None yet

• Finney Blake- None yet

• Billy- None yet

• Griffen- None yet

[babblydrabbly]

what I write;

Mostly fandom x reader. My inbox is always open for requests, but I will only write if inspiration hits me personally. Drabbles will probably get out quicker. I accept requests for headcanons and imagines too.

Smut, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, platonic, and the occasional darkfic. I love it all.

Most of my fics are female!reader x character(s), or gender neutral!reader x character(s). Please state what you'd like in a request.

This blog is poly and multi-ship friendly <3 Please don't come into my askbox to share how you don't like a certain ship/character/actor or whatever.

If you have a request from a prompt list, please link it so I can link it too.

My ao3 is babblydrabbly. Leave a comment— I read them all and I love them!

**Unfortunately this is a sideblog, so I don't answer replies, only reblogs or asks. But believe me, I love seeing them, reader. I really do <3**

fandoms/characters I write for;

DC

The Suicide Squad || Rick My #1 Flag, Harley Quinn, Robert DuBois, Digger Harkness, Cleo Cazo, Abner Krill, Christopher Smith, Richard Hertz.

Peacemaker || Adrian Chase, Emilia Harcourt

Birds of Prey || Harley Quinn, Dinah Lance, Helena Bertinelli.

Justice League || Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Arthur Curry, Diana Prince, Victor Stone, Barry Allen.

Marvel/MCU

Avengers || Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Thor Odinson, Loki Laufeyson, Nebula, Kate Bishop, Peter Parker, Yelena Belova.

Deadpool || Wade Wilson, Cable, Domino.

Venom || Eddie Brock, Venom

Others || Tasm!Peter Parker

What We Do In the Shadows

Nandor, Nadja, Lazslo, Guillermo.

Lord of the Rings + The Hobbit

Lindir, Galadriel, Eoywn, Eomer, Haldir.

Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield, Thrandruil, Kili, Fili.

Misc

Takeshi Kovacs - Altered Carbon

Stephen Holder - The Killing

what I do not write;

Real Person Fiction (rpf)

[hieromonkcharbel]

Diverting a bit from my approach to the writings of the Philokalia, I wish to put forward a few thoughts about how we often think about illness in our lives and how the Holy Fathers offer us fresh insight into the mystery of evil, sin, illness and their place in our struggle for holiness.

Often, when we are young, we do not think much about physical illness and the spiritual life. Life passes quickly as we are fully engaged in our work, studies and ministry and many of us rarely struggle with ill health except for the occasional flu or cold. But when illness does strike, in one form or another, suddenly our busy and “productive” lives can be disrupted and we are forced, as it were, to reconsider a great deal of things; not merely the meaning of health, that we have perhaps taken for granted, but the nature of our relationship with God, the depth of our faith or lack thereof, the meaning of suffering and how to engage it and not to become discourage even when we have been completely humbled by the burden of our physical and emotional vulnerabilities. When such circumstances arise, we are often unprepared for the trial - never imagining or wanting to think about the possibility of such a cross - a cross the comes to most all of us at some point. When illness plunges us into unfamiliar territory, even to the point of death, what place does it have within our struggle toward holiness? How do we pray when prayer seems impossible and when it feels as though our heart has been turned to stone? Where do we find our hope and with what faith must we enter the mystery of illness and suffering in order to know the healing touch of Christ, the Physician of our souls and bodies?

I offer for your consideration today brief excerpts from “The Holy Fathers on Illness” compiled by Bishop Alexander Mileant; in particular those thoughts from the Fathers on “Illness and Work of Perfection”. Their words offer some perspective on sickness and redemptive suffering as a means of glorifying God. There is much to say certainly about the meaning and origins of illness well beyond the purview of a simple post, but the Fathers show us in word and deed that it can be and often is a privileged way of holiness. Through thankfulness, endurance, and patience one can realize the highest form of ascetic practice and follow a spiritual path to intimacy with God. At such moments, one may exhibit no extraordinary virtue other than to suffer illness and its poverty with patience and so have this as one’s path to salvation. Thus, the Fathers’ words are full of hope and challenge:

“The desert ascetic Father, St. Abba Dorotheus, exhorts his disciples to "take the trouble to find out where you are: whether you have left your own town but remain just outside the gates, by the garbage dump, or whether you have gone ahead little or much, or whether you are half way on your journey, or whether you have gone two miles, then come back two miles, or perhaps even five miles, or whether you have journeyed as far as the Holy City and entered into Jerusalem itself, or whether you have remained outside and are unable to enter" (On Vigilance and Sobriety).

Illness helps us to see "where we are" on life's road: "sickness is a lesson from God and serves to help us in our progress if we give thanks to Him" (Sts. Barsanuphius and John, Philokalia).

No one may use illness as an excuse for resting from the labor of spiritual living. "Perhaps some might think that illness and bodily weakness hinder the work of perfection since the works and accomplishments of one's hands cannot continue. But it is not a hindrance" (St. Ambrose, Jacob and the Happy Life).

In the life of Riassophore-monk John, latter-day disciple of St. Nilus of Sora, we see how bodily infirmity is not allowed to interrupt the struggle for salvation. Riassophore-monk John was a cripple; because of this he had been compelled to leave the Monastery of St. Cyril of New Lake. Feeling sorry for himself, he shortly afterwards was standing for an all-night vigil in the deep of winter. "Suddenly he saw an unknown Elder in schema come out of the altar to him and say: 'Well, apparently you do not wish to serve me. If so, return to St. Cyril.

"At these words, the Elder struck him with his right hand quite strongly on the shoulder. Noting that the Elder exactly resembled St. Nilus as he is depicted on the icon over his relics, John was filled with great joy, all his grief disappeared, and he firmly resolved to spend the rest of his life in the Saint's skete" (The Northern Thebaid).

Even if we are bedridden, we are to continue the struggle against the passions, producing fruits worthy of repentance. This work of perfection demands that we acquire patience and longsuffering. What better way to do this than when we lie on a bed of infirmity? St. Tikhon of Zadonsk says that in suffering we can find out whether our faith is living or just "theoretical." The test of true faith is patience in the midst of sufferings, for "patience is the Christian's coat of arms." "What is it to follow Christ?" he asks. It is "to endure all things, looking upon Christ Who suffered. Many wish to be glorified with Christ, but few seek to remain with the suffering Christ. Yet not merely by tribulation, but even in much tribulation does one enter the Kingdom of God."

To those who suppose that they can only progress in the spiritual life when all else is "well," St. John Cassian replies, "You should not think that you can find virtue when you are not irritated — for it is not in your power to prevent troubles from happening. Rather, you should look for patience as the result of your own humility and longsuffering, for patience does depend upon your own will" {Institutes). Towards the end of his life, St. Seraphim of Sarov suffered from open ulcers on his legs. "Yet," as his Life tells us, "in appearance he was always bright and cheerful, for in spirit he felt that heavenly peace and joy which are the riches of the glorious inheritance of the saints."

"You are stricken by this sickness," the Holy Fathers say, "so that you will not depart barren to God. If you can endure, and give thanks to God, this sickness will be accounted to you as a spiritual work" (Sts. Barsanouphius and John, Philokalia).

Bishop Theophan the Recluse explains: "Enduring unpleasant things cheerfully, you approach a little to the martyrs. But if you complain, you will not only lose your share with the martyrs, but will be responsible for complaining besides. Therefore, be cheerful!"

In order not to lose heart when we fall sick we are to think about and mentally "kiss the sufferings of our Savior just as though we were with Him while He suffers abuses, wounds, humiliations...shame, the pain of the nails, the piercing with the lance, the flow of water and blood. From this we will receive consolation in our sickness. Our Lord will not let these efforts go unrewarded " (St. Tikhon of Zadonsk).

The patience we can learn on a sickbed cannot be overemphasized. Elder Macarius of Optina wrote about this to one who was ill:

"I was much pleased to hear from your relation how bravely you are bearing the cruel scourge of your heavy sickness. Verily, as the man of the flesh perishes, so is the spiritual man renewed."

And to another he wrote: "Praised be the Lord that you accept your illness so meekly! The bearing of sickness with patience and gratitude is reckoned highly by Him Who often rewards sufferers with His imperishable gifts.

"Ponder these words: Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed."

St. Ambrose of Milan compared an infirm body to a broken musical instrument. He explained how the "musician" can still produce God-pleasing "music" without his instrument:

"If a man used to singing to the accompaniment of a harp finds the harp broken, and its strings undone...he puts it aside and instead of calling for its notes he delights himself with his own voice.

"In the same way, a sick man allows the harp of his body to lie unused. He finds delight within his heart and comfort in the knowledge that his conscience is clear. He sustains himself with God's words and the prophetic writings and, holding these sweet and pleasant in his soul, he embraces them with his mind. Nothing can happen to him because God's graceful presence breathes favor upon him....He is filled with spiritual tranquility" (Jacob and the Happy Life).

Quite often the most God-pleasing spiritual "music" of all is produced in anonymity, by unknown or nearly-unknown saints. But such holy "melodies" are all the more sweet because they are heard by God alone. One such modern sufferer who lived an angel-like life in spite of advanced and terrible sickness was the holy New Russian Martyr, Mother Maria of Gatchina. Her story is known to us only because it pleased God to providentially arrange for one of her visitors, Professor I. M. Andreyev, to record his memories of her.

Mother Maria suffered from encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and Parkinson's disease. "Her whole body became as it were chained and immovable, her face anemic and like a mask; she could speak, but she began to talk with half-closed mouth, through her teeth, pronouncing slowly and in a monotone. She was a total invalid and was in constant need of help and careful looking after. Usually this disease proceeds with sharp psychological changes, as a result of which such patients often ended up in psychiatric hospitals. But Mother Maria, being a total physical invalid, not only did not degenerate psychically, but revealed completely extraordinary features of personality and character not characteristic of such patients: she became extremely meek, humble, submissive, undemanding, concentrated in herself; she became engrossed in constant prayer, bearing her difficult condition without the least murmuring.

"As if as a reward for this humility and patience, the Lord sent her a gift: consolation of the sorrowing. Completely strange and unknown people, finding themselves in sorrows, grief, depression, and despondency, began to visit her and converse with her. And everyone who came to her left consoled, feeling an illumination of their grief, a pacifying of sorrow, a calming of fears, a taking away of depression and despondency" (The Orthodox Word, vol. 13, no. 3).

"Thus God has acted. Like a provident Father and not like a kidnapper has He first involved us in grievous things, giving us over to tribulation as it were to schoolmasters and teachers, so that being chastened and sobered by these things we may, after showing forth all patience and learning, all right discipline, inherit the Kingdom of Heaven" (St. John Chrysostom, Homily 18, On the Statues).”

Excerpts taken from:

Missionary Leaflet # EA30

466 Foothill Blvd, Box 397, La Canada, Ca 91011

Editor: Bishop Alexander (Mileant)