#she's also entering “just like me fr but in a way that is forcing me to acknowledge a lot of things about myself

xaz-fr · 7 years ago

Photo

The Story So Far

@griminal-rising @deadpool-scar-bro @hikayelastoria @cornsnoot-fr @redlion-fr @tales-around-sornieth (let me know if you’d like to be added to the lore pinglist)

dragons are humanoid unless said otherwise

like my writing? Consider buying me a coffee

A Stranger Came

Johanna was tired. She came home, dropped her things in her room, and face planted onto her bed with a tired groan. Her body ached. She was sweaty and stank of sweat, blood, ichor and swamp. Thinking that was enough to make her pick herself up off her bed with a tired groan so she didn’t stink up her bed. She was taking off her armor thinking about that sack of gold she’d earned and what it was probably going to be used for immediately. She’d been saving up to put a call to some druids in the Labyrinth to come expand the Tree some more so the girls didn’t have to share a room and she could make the entire thing a bit bigger with more like rooms and less like hollows.

She was so focused on her thoughts of knowing her gold was going to evaporate that she missed when three sets of curious eyes peered around the screen that sectioned off Johanna’s space from the other parts of the Tree. She muttered to herself about also needing to take Lianna hunting so they’d have enough insects to eat. She was glad Layali ate anything and the rest of them would eat insects. There was no shortage of insects in the swamp, it was just a matter of getting to them. Rahab fended for himself mostly but the girls had developed a taste for fried tarantula and popped crickets.

“Surprise!” Layali yelled and Johanna found her legs assaulted by the two young girls. She looked down at them and was met by a pair of smiling faces. She and Lianna were hitting on her feet, holding onto her calf.

“Oh nooo,” Johanna said dramatically, “I can’t move, I’m stuck. What ever am I to do?” The girls giggled. She pretended to lift her feet and couldn’t which just made the girls giggle more and wiggle around a little. Then with an over the top groan Johanna lifted her leg Lianna was hanging onto and shook it a little. “Oh, what’s this? There seems to be a little girl attached to my legs?” More giggling.

“You’re back,” Layali said brightly.

“Yes, I am,” Johanna leaned down and gently pried Lianna off of her first and then Layali. Layali grabbed her back and Johanna was forced to pick her up. She couldn’t do that with Lianna anymore. Layali was a few years older than her but Lianna had already outpaced her in maturity and physical development. Lianna was at the edge of what Johanna could easily pick up but Layali was still small enough to scoop up. Johanna couldn’t help but think she’d be sad when the day came she could no longer hold her little Layali like this.

“Did you find anything neat?” Layali asked.

“No,” Johanna sighed a little. Anything she found she’d sold off to the nearest clan for more gold. She’d only kept what she could carry and that hadn’t been much.

“There’s someone here,” Layali said as Johanna was taking her out of her sectioned off area, Lianna trailing behind.

“There is?” Johanna asked and set Layali down in her own room, by the bed. Layali nodded. “How do you know that?” she asked.

“Rahab said so,” she pointed and like he was waiting for it the strange Fae showed himself. He crawled along the floor in a disconcerting way and climbed up Layali’s body. If Johanna didn’t know Rahab was both a Fae and Layali’s ‘brother’ she would have snatched the strange creature right off of her and thrown it out into the spring. Watching Rahab crawl along the floor or up and around Layali was always a bit uncomfortable to watch. “He said he saw someone out in the eastern island, the big one.” Rahab had curled around Layali’s neck by now, half hidden by her black hair.

“Hmmm. Did he see who?”

“A Wildclaw,” Layali said. “He was scared so didn’t get too close, but they were definitely a Wildclaw.”

“What did they look like?”

Rahab practically put his head in Layali’s ear to whisper to her. “Dark base, pale bright green markings like a skink.”

“And where did he see them?”

Rahab again whispered directly into Layali’s ear. “A bit inland. He didn’t stay for too long. He came home right after he saw them. He wanted you to say they were safe before he went back out there to hunt.”

“Hmm. Very well,” she did her best not to sigh. She went back to her area and pulled on some clothes from yesterday. Not clean but not filthy or foul like today’s clothes. “You three stay here,” she told the three children.

“Yes, Johanna,” Lianna said and put her hand on Layali’s shoulder.

Johanna nodded at them and left the Tree. She crawled out of the hole with a groan. She really just had wanted to soak in the spring and before making the girls something to eat and passing out for the night. But now she had to go investigate this strange dragon. She stretched a bit before taking off. It took no time at all to cross the spring and the swamp to the large island to the east of the Tree. “Who goes there?” she called out with a bit of Wind magic behind her to make sure they heard. “You’re in my territory. Show yourself!”

She waited and she honestly didn’t expect anything to come of it and she’d have to scour the island. So when a young Wildclaw stepped out from the clinging woods she was surprised but didn’t allow it to show on her face. “I didn’t mean to encroach,” they said.

Johanna looked them over. Dark hide with almost searing bright markings almost like the veining of a leaf. She hadn’t missed the way the branches had seemed to pull away from him to let him out of the woods. A druid. A powerful druid. From a sect she knew. They were well known in the Labyrinth and the Plateau before she’d left both of those places. “I believe you, druid,” she said. “But you gave my children a fright.”

He was surprised she knew he was a druid. “I apologize. I was just…” he petered off.

“What?”

He sighed. “Look. I’m sorry I was in your territory. I’ll be moving along.”

“What are you running from?” she asked. She wasn’t sure what made her ask that. Just age and knowledge of how young males burdened with what they thought was too much purpose spoke.

“I’m not running from anything,” he growled, his crest going back.

She folded her arms. “It’s an awful long way away for a member of the Belspring to be for it to be nothing,” she said.

“You— know of us?” he was shocked.

“I wasn’t born yesterday, young man,” she said. “You’re of the Plateau sect and this is a long way from the Plateau to try to set up a place to live. As far from anything you could hope to have and still be surrounded with enough sunlight and plants without being in the Labyrinth. But since you’re here I doubt you want that sect to know you’re here either.”

He scowled a little. “What’s it to you?”

“Well if you have a good answer I’d let you stay,” Johanna said.

His pale green eyes widened. “You would?” he asked.

“Yes. If you do a thing for me and tell me what you’re doing here I’ll allow you to stay in my territory,” Johanna said, head raised.

He scratched his crest awkwardly. “I— don’t want to be bonded with the girl my father wanted me to be,” he admitted. “So I left.”

“You ran away from home because you didn’t love a girl? Really?” Johanna could hardly believe this. Why were the young so foolish.

“No!” he cried. “I do. Just not… like that,” he grimaced. “But I had to and I really didn’t want to do that to her so I left.”

“That is very noble, I suppose, but also completely stupid,” Johanna said. He narrowed his eyes at her. “What’s your name?”

“Spayar,” he grunted, still annoyed she’d rebuked him so roughly.

“I am Johanna Goldenfeather,” she said.

“Goldenfeather?” he asked to clarify.

“Yes, that Goldenfeather.”

“You’re a long way from the Plateau too, Johanna,” he said and eyed her.

“I have my reasons.”

“Do I get to be privy?”

She gave him an amused chuckle, “Maybe one day, young Spayar,” she said. “For now, you’re free to live in my territory. I am sure I don’t have to tell you to not molest the natural resources. In the near future I will come to ask you for that other thing you owe me to live here.”

“Very well,” he said awkwardly. “Where can I find you if I need you?”

“See that tree?” she pointed out where they could clearly see the top of the huge cypress tree. Spayar nodded. “If you need me I spend my days in that tree with my children.” He nodded. “I’m glad this was a mutually beneficial arrangement for us, Spayar. Until I see you next.”

“Goodbye,” he said, still not sure about this entire thing and especially put off guard by who she was. “This thing you want me to do, it isn’t for all that with Goldenfeather, right?”

“No. It’s for us.”

“Alright, well— thanks I guess.”

With that Johanna waved goodbye to the druid and flew back to the tree were Layali and Lianna were eagerly waiting for her to find out who and what the strange dragon Rahab had seen was. “Was it a dragon like Rahab said, Johanna?” Layali asked almost as soon as she entered the Tree.

“Yes, it was,” Johanna nodded. “They were a druid, his name is Spayar. He’s going to be living on that island now.”

“Really!?” Layali asked excitedly. “Can we go see?”

Johanna smiled sadly at the little girl, “I’m sorry Layali, you can’t,” she said. Layali’s face dropped and she remembered that she couldn’t leave the Tree.

“Oh, right,” she said, looking down.

“He’ll be coming here, though,” Johanna said helpfully. “He’s going to be making our home larger,” she motioned to the inside of the Tree.

“Really? Can I get my own room?” Lianna asked, wings puffing up excitedly.

Johanna smiled gently, “Yes, I think we can arrange that, my dear,” she said and gently tapped Lianna’s nose. Lianna giggled and beamed at her. “Now are you hungry?”

“Yes!” they cried at the same time.

“Alright, let’s have some dinner,” Johanna said allowed Layali to grab her arm as they went to the cook fire in the side of the living area where she’d make them something to eat.

#flight rising #fr lore #fr lore share #lore share #cypress hall #thou shalt always queue

4 notes · View notes

radiant-flutterbun · 7 years ago

Text

Dragons For Hire

This works basically like a shipping list and sort of a rp starter! If any of these dragons provide a service that one of your dragons is looking for feel free to message me here or on FR!

Assassins

Need some murders? These dragons are REALLY good at murder

Nepenthe

She’s the Goddess of Revenge from another world, and came to Sornieth to search for her father and kill him. She grew up alone in a forest and had to learn how to survive on her own.

She’s not very good at conversation, but what she lacks in social skills are excellent tracking abilities and hunting skills. She could track down almost anyone on the planet using only a few leads. And she’s good at killing too and isn’t afraid to get bloody

Bloodmoon

Her family was murdered when she was young, and she suffered from a bad concussion that gave her amnesia for a lot of her earliest memories. After her injury she was raised by a violent skydancer who taught her all sorts of ways to kill. She was raised to believe killing was a way of life, and she began to enjoy it a bit too much.

She’s not as stealthy as Nepenthe, and she’s not a good tracker, but she’s really useful if you know where your victim is, because once Bloodmoon know where her prey is, there’s no stopping her.

Dracula

He’s a vampire and would do anything for blood.

He’s an unusually tiny nocturne and it’s easy for him to sneak into places. However since he cannot enter direct daylight he ca only travel during night, so progress may be slow. (there’s also the chance he may just settle for who’s blood is easiest to get)

Shade Chasers

They’re specialized assassins that hunt down any Shade creature. So if you’re having any Shade problems, these are the dragons to call.

Tiberius

He was once a fae and his mother was obsessed with the Shade. She experimented Shade energy on her own children. Tiberius was lucky enough to run away before she could infect him. He enrolled in the Plague Academy of Shade Chasers(PASC) and saved up enough money for a breed change to give him a better advantage in the boot camp.

Tiberius is one of the most skilled Shade Chasers that PASC has to offer. He is in the top class known as the Irradiated Mages. He has been infused with powerful Arcane magic to destroy the Shade with. Only a handful of dragons survive to become one of the Mages.

Evarado

He was always violent, so he decided to use that violence to destroy the Shade. He isn’t friendly company, but he’s an effective Shade Killer, a melee class in PASC. His many skills include blood magic, strength, high pain tolerance, and skills with many weapons.

Renek

Her background in botany as made her skilled with poisons of all kinds, and she’s discovered a few that have an affect on the Shade. She’s not good at directly fighting Shade creatures. She isn’t very strong, nor does she have powerful magic, but she is sneaky and quick on her feet. She’s the best at investigating Shade activity, but not destroying Shade creatures.

Monachopsis

He was born with a ‘blessing’ from the Plaguebringer. From his scales ooze acid. It is painful, but he has grown used to the pain. What’s worse to him is that he cannot touch anyone without hurting them.

But his acid has some use. It makes him immune to the Shade and he’s able to burn it away. He is part of the melee class of PASC, the Shade Killers.

Artists

Dragons to commission any art of your dreams.

Flare

A very talented and experienced artist. She’s an expert in several different mediums including many different paints, like oil and water color, and she can make both wooden and stone sculptures. She can be hired as an art teacher or commissioned.

The only downfall of hiring her is her curse that makes her burst into flames at random times. She needs to have a water source around her at all times and it’s recommended she stay away from flammable materials.

Soul

If you need someone to sing or write songs, then Soul is your dragon! He has a way with words and an incredible singing voice. He can play a few stringed instruments as well.

He’s also a mechanic so he can be hired for that as well.

Frankenstein

She’s a beginner artist but has gotten really good at water color and oil pastel. She started painting as an art therapy as she tried to find meaning to her strange existence. She’s literally the corpse of a few different dragons stitched together and given sentience, so that was a bit of a complicated issue to sort out to put lightly.

but hey now she’s a walking corpse that paints so that’s pretty cool!

Muerto

He’s a beginner artist and like Frankenstein, he also became an artist from art therapy! He’s not the best artist, but he’s young and is still learning. He’s getting better everyday and he’s proud of himself for it. Also did I mention he’s a literal child and it would make his day if someone commissioned him?

Please commission the child

Healers

Hecate

She’s the best healer of Ton Theon. She can quickly close up wounds within seconds and repair all internal damage with her magic. However, she learned the hard way that her magic is not limitless. It takes a lot out of her to use her magic to heal, and she often needs to eat and sleep to recover. If she uses too much of her magic at once she can not only drain her body of energy, but actually use up all of her magic and she would be forced to go back to her Source Magic.

The magic that Hecate uses is not her own, but is powered by a legendary Pear that was once owned by an infamous Pearlcatcher known as Cassiopeia. That story is a long one, but she has to return to the deadly territory that Pearl is found in in order to regain her magic if she is drained of it.

Alaria

She’s another healer of Ton Theon. She’s not as good a healer as Hecate, but to be fair Hecate is only as good as she is by stealing magic that’s not her own. Alaria doesn’t heal with magic, but instead that good old fashioned way with bandages and herbs.

Alaria grows her own herbs and knows everything there is to know about medicinal plants.

Alaria is also a mechanic and uses these skills to give some of her patients prosthetic limbs, and in one case, a new nervous system.

Bacitracin

He’s the God of Healing from another world. He’s only visiting Sornieth for a short time, but he has knowledge of all things medicine. Unfortunately he cannot use his healing magic here on Sornieth, as magic works differently in this world than in his own, but he can still pass on his knowledge of medicine to anyone who needs it, and he’s particularly knowledgeable in mental health, unlike Hecate and Alaria.

Archaeologists

June

June is a particularly bold Archaeologist who had been studying the Light Ruins since she was a hatchling. She became particularly fascinated in the Hewn City and dedicated her life to research in it.

Sadly she uncovered some nasty Shade activity in the city, and became Shade-Touched. She ended up being trapped in the city for almost a year with no recollection of it, and lost her mate and granddaughter who were studying the city with her to Shade infections.

Still, even though she knows how dangerous the City is, she wants to go back and further her research.

Night

Night has always been a jack or all trades. They’ve been a philosopher, an artist, a creative writer, a journalist, and a astronomer. Recently they’ve been dabbling in archaeology. They’ve been studying the civilizations of the beings of the Third Agem which eventually led them to the Hewn City. They almost died there from Shade Activity and an Emperor attack, but they survived and the experience only peaked their curiosity even more.

Cooks

Firespitter

He can make some mean soup. He’s so good at soup. He’s also pretty good at making stew, and pretty much anything with meat in it. He’s always cooking something and he loves trying new things.

Sometimes he also gets hit with random prophecies or visions so that’s just a bonus to him being your chef.

Bonita

Bonita is a bit better with cooking the veggie dishes, even if she herself hates them all her tundra customers say it’s really good.

She’s a bit loud when she cooks and likes to sing badly as she does so, so if you can put up with her horrible singing she’s the chef for you!

Kissa

Kissa is best at baking all sorts of sweets. From cookies to cakes to pies, she can do it all and she loves doing it. She often can’t stop baking she loves it so much.

So help her out and either hire her or buy some of her cookies!

Necromancers

Peripeteia

Peri is a necromancer. There’s not really much else to say about it. She was born into this life and she didn’t have the choice to become a necromancer. It wouldn’t be all that bad if it didn’t also come with a curse that makes her slowly rot away.

Luckily there is a way to reverse the rot, but she has to steal from the living in order to do so. Don’t worry, she’s a nice necromancer and would never want to harm another dragon, but she’d happily raise some zombies for you if the price is right.

Scutum

Scutum learned necromancy as a hatchling, much to the horror of his birthclan. He ended up using his power to attempt to raise and Emperor and use it to attack the Lightweaver. The plan failed, and the Lightweaver banished him from her land. Now he lives on a little island in the Starfall Isles called Nihil and he raises the dead to amuse his Queen.

But he wants to do more with his gift. Necromancy has so much potential. Hire him and maybe you’ll find out.

Animal Tamers

Elymas

Elymas thinks snakes are pretty cool, so he’s developed a bond with a few and has learned a lot about snake behavior. If you ever need someone to tame some snakes, or remove them, then Ely is your guy.

He’s also pretty good at training horses, but I don’t think there are any horses on Sornieth and I doubt a dragon would need a horse.

Arkina

Arkina is a huge animal lover. She loves animals so much that she has dedicated her life to reaping animal souls. For the wild animals she reincarnates them, but for the animals who had been beloved pets, she keeps the souls safe for when the owner dies.

She’s good with any kind of animal.

Farmers/Gardeners

Zeamays

Zeamays loves corn. He’s really good at growing corn. His corn is really good. He’s also great at growing other crops. Pretty much any crop you can imagine he can probably grow and it’ll be really good too. But corn is his favorite to grow.

Amara

Amara doesn’t grow food, but she is a really good gardener! She’s good at growing house plants and flowers. She knows the perfect temperature to grow her plants, and what sort of soil is best for them. She can also recommend insects to help a garden flourish.

Elysian

Elysian is good at growing food like Zeamays. Unlike him she uses magic to grow it, so if you want a good, quick crop she can be hired, but afterward you may not be able to replant anything as her magic tends to suck all the nutrients from the soil.

Historians

Lakra

Lakra is Ton Theon’s oldest librarian and he knows just about every book written and released to the public in the Sunbeam Ruins. He knows the history of Light through and through, even some parts that the Lightweaver herself is ashamed of. He used to keep the knowledge of Emperors a well hidden secret, but since his clan came face to face with one of the undead beasts he realized just how dangerous concealing knowledge can be.

Masika

Masika is Lakra’s mate and his assistant at the library. She knows almost as much as him, but she’s never been the best at memorization. She also tends to be a nervous wreck and it’s easy to spook her. Still, she tries her best and could be helpful with recommending books especially if they deal with the Sunbeam Ruins.

Designers

Virtuous

She’s a busy woman who doesn’t leave much Time for herself (ironic considering she’s the Goddess of Time), but in her free time she enjoys knitting, weaving and sewing. She’s be happy to make anything from stuffed toys to clothing. It’s a good distraction from the demon that’s been hunting her for billions of years.

Nullity

Much like her grandmother, Virtuous, Nullity as found a love with clothing. She’s really good at designing new dresses and making new outfits. She also have an eye for everything make up and hair style. She could give you a makeover, or just give you a few tips on fashion.

Thieves

Juno

Juno is the captain of the Foo’s Eye pirates. She’ll do anything for money. She’ll steal, or murder or anything else shady as long as she’s being paid.

Spa

Lavender

Lavender is the owner of the Ember Sun Spa and Resort. He’s happy to let anyone visit his spa and resort.

#firefly flits #dragons for hire

17 notes · View notes

romancatholicreflections · 6 years ago

Photo

18th November >> Fr. Martin's Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Mark 13:24-32 for Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B: 'My words will not pass away'.

Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Mark 13:24-32

The stars will fall from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘In those days, after the time of distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will lose its brightness, the stars will come falling from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory; then too he will send the angels to gather his chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the world to the ends of heaven.

‘Take the fig tree as a parable: as soon as its twigs grow supple and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that he is near, at the very gates. I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all these things will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

‘But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father.’

Gospel (USA)

Mark 13:24–32

He will gather his elect from the four winds.

Jesus said to his disciples: “In those days after that tribulation

the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light,

and the stars will be falling from the sky,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

“And then they will see the ‘Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.

“Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

“But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Reflections (4)

(i) Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Most of us find endings difficult to deal with. We can find it hard to move on from something, especially if we have been reasonably happy where we have been. We can find transitions from one situation to a very different one difficult to manage, especially as we get older. We make ourselves a home somewhere and we struggle to move on from that. Yet, we know from our experience that endings are an inevitable part of life. We cannot avoid change, including traumatic change. The best we can do is to try and manage change and the distress that change often brings us. Some experiences of change are most distressing than others. There can be times in our lives when our whole world seems to change. This loss of a job, the onset of sudden illness, the death of a loved one or some event can force us to literally change worlds. There can be huge distress involved in this for ourselves and for others. For a while we do not know where we are. We struggle to get our bearings.

It is this kind of cataclysmic change that the readings of today’s Mass seem to put before us. They speak of such a change not just as an individual experience but as a communal, indeed a cosmic, experience. We hear of the darkening of the sun and the shaking of the heavens, of a time of great distress, unparalleled since nations first came into existence. The readings seem to speak of an experience of ending that affects everybody in the most profound way. The language in which this profound and traumatic change is expressed is that of symbol and image – the language of the imagination. Whenever we experience profound change that shakes the foundations of our world and that of others, we feel the need for some form of stability, something firm and fixed by which we can begin to navigate the strange territory in which we suddenly find ourselves. Such a solid point of reference will often take the form of another human being. A loved one, a friend, a family member who walks with us through the trauma, can keep us steady and enable us to negotiate the difficult journey on which we find ourselves. The readings of today’s Mass remind us that our faith, our relationship with the Lord, can be an indispensable resource at such times. In the gospel reading, Jesus declares that ‘heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away’. The Lord’s words to us remain a constant in the midst of even the most traumatic and world shattering experience of change. His words will never lose their life-giving power.

What is the Lord’s word to us, in today’s gospel reading? It is a word that assures us that the ending of the world, the ending of our own world, whatever form that might take, will always be accompanied by the coming of the Lord to us in power. According to the gospel reading, the shaking of the heavens and the earth signals the Lord’s coming to us with great power and glory, not to judge but to gather all those who call on him in their need. The Lord asks us to believe that he is coming towards us and is present to us in the midst of the chaos that threatens to engulf us. He asks us to trust that if we are open to his coming, to his presence, it is he who will gather us and not the chaos. The gospel reading speaks of the Lord’s coming using two quite different images. It says that he will come in the clouds with great power and glory but also that he is near, at the very gates. There is something of a contrast between the ‘clouds’ and the ‘gates’. The ‘clouds’ suggest the otherness and the power of the Lord; the ‘gates’ suggest his nearness and his accessibility. In other words, the Lord’s powerful coming at those moments of great trauma will not overwhelm us; it will be like meeting a good friend at the gate of our home. The only Irish saying comes to mind, ‘God’s help is nearer than the door’.

Many people have found that their relationship with the Lord has helped to keep them going at times when they were suddenly thrust into strange and frightening territory. The sentiment of that powerful hymn, ‘Abide with me’, written by John Henry Newman comes to mind, ‘Change and decay in all around I see. Oh Thou who changest not, abide with me’. In the midst of traumatic change, we need someone who is constant and enduring; such a person is the Lord. The person who originally prayed this Sunday’s responsorial psalm drew strength from the Lord’s enduring presence, ‘I keep the Lord ever in my sight; since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm’. We try to keep the Lord ever in our sight, the one who, according to today’s second reading, offered one single sacrifice for our sins and who is working even now to achieve our eternal perfection.

Both the first reading and the gospel reading speak of a time of great distress. We have all known great distress. It can be triggered by many things. The good news to be heard in today’s readings is that no trial need ever destroy us because the Lord is near, at the very gates.

And/Or

(ii) Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Some weeks ago the front gates of the church were taken away to be worked on by a professional company. They are very old gates and they were no longer hanging properly. When you tried to open or close them, they scraped along the concrete. Standing near the gates of the church is a good place to meet people as they enter or leave the church. This is why collectors stand at the gates of the church, and, I suppose, why coming up to an election politicians stand outside the gates of the church. Gates have traditionally been places where people gather. This was especially true in times past when towns and cities were surrounded by a wall, perhaps not so much in Ireland but certainly in the land of Jesus. In a walled city or town, the gate was the only point where people can enter or leave. It was the place to meet people. If you wanted to address the largest number of people possible, the gate of the city or town was the place to go. In the Jewish Scriptures there is a figure called Wisdom, a female figure. She has a message that she wants as many people as possible to hear. The Book of Proverbs states, ‘Beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance to the portals, she cries out’ She obviously wanted to reach as many people as possible, and so she went to the gates of the town.

That image of the gates is in the gospel reading this morning. Jesus speaks there of the coming of the Son of Man, clearly a reverence to himself, and he declares, ‘know that he is near, at the very gates’. Jesus’ uses that image of his presence at ‘the very gates’ to suggest his nearness to us. He will be present where people gather, not in some remote place, but at the very place where the largest number of people come and go. His presence at the gates is a reassuring presence. He had just used the reassuring image of the fig tree that had been bare for the winter and whose twigs suddenly begin to grow supple and whose leaves begin to emerge into the light. When people see this they know that winter is passing and summer is approaching. The image of Jesus at the gates is meant to be a similarly reassuring image. Some kind of reassurance was needed because Jesus had just been painting a disturbing picture of great cosmic changes and in the passage just prior to our gospel reading he had spoken of the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple and the persecution of his followers. It was a rather grim and dark picture of what lay ahead. Jesus did not shy away from facing and naming the harsh realities of life, the suffering which lay ahead for himself and his followers and, indeed, for the whole of creation. We can really only begin to deal with the darker side of life when we name it for what it is and face into it as best we can. The gospels suggest that Jesus was better at this than his disciples, who were inclined to change the subject when Jesus spoke about these matters to them.

Yet, while acknowledging and naming the darker side of reality, Jesus also pointed to a light in that darkness. He assures his disciples that when the world as they know it appears to be collapsing, he will be coming with great power and glory to gather those who remain faithful to him. He will be the reassuring presence at the very gates of their city, their town, their household, their lives. The message of today’s gospel reading is essentially one of hope. Hope is not wishful thinking; it is not pretending that things are better than they are. Hope is the conviction that God’s light shines in the awful darkness and that the darkness will not ultimately overcome it. Jesus is acknowledging in the gospel reading that everything as we know is passing away. All of created reality is destined to pass away. Nothing of this world will endure. As Jesus says, ‘heaven and earth will pass away’. The term ‘heaven and earth’ was a way of referring to everything created that exists. Jesus immediately goes on to say, ‘my words will not pass away’. His words will not pass away because he himself will not pass away. In our darkness moments when our world appears to be collapsing, when what we cherish most has been taken from us, he will be at the gates of our lives as a light in our darkness, as a companion on our way. In the Book of Revelation, the risen Lord uses an image that is very similar to the one in today’s gospel reading, ‘I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me’. The Lord moves from the gate or the door to the table where he invites us to enter into communion with him and draw life from him, and then go forth as his hope filled messengers in our world.

And/Or

(iii) Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Some experiences of change are most distressing than others. There can be times in our lives when our whole world seems to change. This can be brought about by the onset of sudden illness or the death of a loved one or some event that forces us to literally change worlds. There can be huge distress involved in this for ourselves and for others. For a while we do not know where we are. We struggle to get our bearings.

Whenever we experience profound change that shakes the foundations of our world and that of others, we feel the need for some form of stability, something firm and fixed by which we can begin to navigate the strange territory in which we suddenly find ourselves. For most people such a solid point of reference will often take the form of another human being. A loved one, a friend, a family member who walks with us through the trauma, can keep us steady, enables us to negotiate the difficult journey on which we find ourselves. Whatever personal resources we have built up over our lives will stand to us in such times. Good hobbies, gifts that we have cultivated in ourselves, sound habits that are life-giving – all can help to keep us going at such times.

The readings of today’s Mass remind us that our faith, our relationship with the Lord, can be an indispensable resource at such times. In the gospel reading, Jesus declares that ‘heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away’. The Lord’s words to us remain a constant in the midst of even the most traumatic and world shattering experience of change. What is the Lord’s word to us, in today’s gospel reading? It is a word that assures us that the ending of the world, the ending of our own world, whatever form that might take, will always be accompanied by the coming of the Lord to us in power. The shaking of the heavens and the earth signals the Lord’s coming to us with great power and glory. According to the gospel reading, he comes to gather his chosen ones those who call on him in their need. The Lord asks us to believe that he is present to us in the midst of the chaos that threatens to engulf us, and he asks us to trust that if we are open to his coming, to his presence, it is he who will gather us and not the chaos.

The gospel reading speaks of the Lord’s coming using two quite different images. It says that he will come in the clouds with great power and glory and also that he is near, at the very gates. There is something of a contrast between the ‘clouds’ and the ‘gates’. The ‘clouds’ suggest the otherness and the power of the Lord; the ‘gates’ suggest his nearness and his accessibility. In other words, the Lord’s powerful coming at those moments of great trauma will not overwhelm us; it will be like meeting a good friend at the gate of our home. The only Irish saying comes to mind, ‘God’s help is nearer than the door’.

Many people have found that their faith in the Lord has helped to keep them going at times when they were suddenly thrust into strange and frightening territory. The sentiment of that powerful hymn written by John Henry Newman comes to mind, ‘Change and decay in all around I see. Oh Thou who changest not, abide with me’. In the midst of traumatic change, we need someone who is constant and enduring; such a person is the Lord. The person who originally prayed today’s responsorial psalm knew this from experience, ‘I keep the Lord ever in my sight; since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm’. We try to keep the Lord ever in our sight, the one who, according to today’s second reading, offered one single sacrifice for our sins and who is working even now to achieve our eternal perfection.

When life is on an even keel, we have the opportunity to put in place resources that will stand to us when our world falls apart. In that sense, today, the day in which we find ourselves, is always the most important day of our lives. How we live today, what we value now, how we relate to the Lord and to other people in the present moment, is all laying a foundation for how we manage those earth shaking moments that come to us all.

And/Or

(iv) Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Some experiences of change are most distressing than others. There can be times in our lives when our whole world seems to change. This loss of a job, the onset of sudden illness, the death of a loved one or some event can force us to literally change worlds. There can be huge distress involved in this for ourselves and for others. For a while we do not know where we are. We struggle to get our bearings.

Whenever we experience profound change that shakes the foundations of our world and that of others, we feel the need for some form of stability, something firm and fixed by which we can begin to navigate the strange territory in which we suddenly find ourselves. Such a solid point of reference will often take the form of another human being. A loved one, a friend, a family member who walks with us through the trauma, can keep us steady and enable us to negotiate the difficult journey on which we find ourselves. The readings of today’s Mass remind us that our faith, our relationship with the Lord, can be an indispensable resource at such times. In the gospel reading, Jesus declares that ‘heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away’. The Lord’s words to us remain a constant in the midst of even the most traumatic and world shattering experience of change. His words will never lose their life-giving power.

The gospel reading speaks of the Lord’s coming using two quite different images. It says that he will come in the clouds with great power and glory but also that he is near, at the very gates. There is something of a contrast between the ‘clouds’ and the ‘gates’. The ‘clouds’ suggest the otherness and the power of the Lord; the ‘gates’ suggest his nearness and his accessibility. In other words, the Lord’s powerful coming at those moments of great trauma will not overwhelm us; it will be like meeting a good friend at the gate of our home. The only Irish saying comes to mind, ‘God’s help is nearer than the door’.

Many people have found that their relationship with the Lord has helped to keep them going at times when they were suddenly thrust into strange and frightening territory. The sentiment of that powerful hymn, ‘Abide with me’, written by John Henry Newman comes to mind, ‘Change and decay in all around I see. Oh Thou who changest not, abide with me’. In the midst of traumatic change, we need someone who is constant and enduring; such a person is the Lord. The person who originally prayed today’s responsorial psalm drew strength from the Lord’s enduring presence, ‘I keep the Lord ever in my sight; since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm’. We try to keep the Lord ever in our sight, the one who, according to today’s second reading, offered one single sacrifice for our sins and who is working even now to achieve our eternal perfection.

Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland.

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ie Please join us via our webcam.

Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC.

Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf.

Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.

0 notes

frmartinshomiliesandreflections · 6 years ago

Photo

18th November >> Fr. Martin's Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Mark 13:24-32 for Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B: ‘My words will not pass away’.

Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Mark 13:24-32

The stars will fall from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken

‘But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son; no one but the Father.’

Gospel (USA)

Mark 13:24–32

He will gather his elect from the four winds.

Jesus said to his disciples: “In those days after that tribulation

the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light,

and the stars will be falling from the sky,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

“But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Reflections (3)

(i) Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

And/Or

(ii) Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

And/Or

(iii) Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland.

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ie Please join us via our webcam.

Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC.

Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf.

Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.

0 notes

xaz-fr · 7 years ago

Photo

three months later I finally have the lore I wanted to write since I joined FR lols. The start of Cypress Hall when there was no one, just Johanna, Layali, and her fish of a brother Rahab.

Oh, Take Me Back to the Start

The old skydancer was tired. Defeated even. Her armor wasn’t so shining, her feathers askew, one antenna bent a way it probably shouldn’t. Johanna had served loyally for so many years she wasn’t used to being treated with scorn and distrust. But that is what had happened. The Dragonlord had no use for her, and didn’t trust her. After that last fight with the Crumbled she’d decided to just ‘die’. It was easy to fake your death when those traitorous oath breakers, egg breaking, scoundrels had made sure everyone they could get ahold of had been ripped apart before they’d made their retreat. Johanna had been injured during it and had just laid down. Her flank still hurt. Her healing magic wasn’t as strong as it once had been. When the Crumbled forces had given chase, leaving her behind she’d waited for someone to come back. No one did. Either they’d killed each other or were still chasing her paladins.

As it often did in the dense jungles of the Labyrinth it had started to rain and a sprinkling of rain had broken through the thick canopy to splash across her face. No one would come back for her unless they had time to come bury her or the others’ corpses. She’d gotten to her feet with a groan and limped the opposite direction, away from the heart of the Labyrinth, away from the Clan. Away from her duty. Away from her old life.

She hadn’t looked back.

She was far from the Labyrinth now and she meant to get even further. She wanted to return home, to the Plateau. Her young aunt would welcome her home, surely? But to return home having forsaken her duty? To abandon the Dragonlord and the war? Anastasia might not be forgiving but Johanna had to hope. She had entered the Sunbeam Ruins a few days ago after skirting the coast of the Tangled Wood and was making her slow way along the edge of the Dusk Break where a nearly sheer cliff of tectonic might mad fallen away to separate the Ruins from the Wood. The flight across the Twilight Straits had taken it out of her and the wound in her flank was greatly aggravated and she’d found a heavy sprain in her wing. The transformation back into a dragon had nearly taken all of her strength and she’d had to leave her armor behind and she had to walk along the ground. She made a truly pathetic sight.

At least the Ruins was, for the most part, flatland along its western border once you made it past the Climb, the precariously steep staircase that allowed for foot traffic between the two regions and had different names depending on which god’s domain you were in. In the distance she could see the thick conifer forest that much of the ruins that gave the Sunbeam Ruins their name resided in. She was much too far to see any of the buildings but the forest covered nearly the entire upper half of the territory so it was impossible to miss.

She did not meet many clans on her walk along the rim of cliffs. Light clans wanted nothing to do with being so close to the Wood and Shadow clans found the searing light that came from over the Dusk Break much too harsh for their eyes. So she was alone with her thoughts for days on her slow, limping, walk. She grazed on tender grasses and she went and when she could snapped up a cricket or butterfly. Eating raw food wasn’t her favorite thing but she made do with what she had available. Before she slept she tended to her flank wound as best she could and slept with dreams full of her failures.

Over a week since she entered the Ruins she came across her first obstacle. The brackish river that cut through the Ruins. So close to the Lightweaver’s Laugh- the name of the falls, called thus for it was said the sound of its cascade reminded Light dragons of the Lightweaver’s laugh- the river ran swift and deep, scoring the land deeply. Johanna wasn’t strong enough to fly even this gap and there was no way she could swim across such a current. To even do so was ludicrous. She’d only heard of some of the oldest Water dragons even attempting to swim around the mouth of Lightweaver’s Laugh. All others were swept along with the tide and tossed out into open air for a nearly mile long plunge down into the Sea below. Plenty of time to get your wings under you but Johanna didn’t have the strength for either.

That led to one option. She’d have to go up the river until it mellowed out and became calmer and hopefully a bit more shallow so she could more easily cross it. With a heavy sigh she headed east, towards the sun. Her going was slow enough that it took her several days to reach a part in the river where the river was nearly level with the ground. She knew she was nowhere near the rim and she’d have to cut across the rest of the Ruins diagonally before reaching the Shifting Expanse. It was unwise for dragons to travel the desert without the aid of a Lightning clan’s dragon.

But the river was wider now but she could tell not much deeper. She didn’t want to go too much further east. She could see the haze of the Hewn City in the distance and she didn’t fancy getting caught up in that. The only problem with this wide, slow, river was that it had turned into a swamp and Johanna stood on some of the only dry land she could see. She’d have to walk and swim through this muck. There was nothing for it. If she wanted to make it to the Plateau she’d have to cross the river and do so while also avoiding the Hewn City. Of course if she thought about it for a moment the Hewn City was probably a better place to go since Light clans often set up their lairs around the Hewn City to explore and study the strange phenomena, not to mention investigate all the rumors of monsters and such that dwelled within it. But she didn’t. She was focused on getting back to the Plateau and the ancestral home of House Gold Feather.

She waded into the water. At first it only came up to her belly. Then it grew deeper as she went and she had to swim. She was exhausted by the time she’d crossed the main river. The water had looked so calm but its currents had still been rather brisk and it had been a workout to not get swept away. Coming out of the water she startled a nest of psyworms that hissed at her but she managed to flap her wings at them and kick up enough wind to fling them backwards. They raced away squeaking in rage. That dealt with she collapsed just beyond the swamp bank. Her wound ached. It no longer bled but it still hurt deeply.

Exhausted she passed out under a dogwood tree.

She was woken with a start by the most anguished wail. Her head shot up and she looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. A pang gripped her heart. It sounded like the youngest children of the old Dragonlord before those Crumbled scum had butchered them. She pushed herself to her feet and stumbled through the island’s underbrush towards the noise. She cross the island, which was larger than she anticipated, and came upon a greater body of water. The sun was starting to set by now and the light fading but not even that could hide the sight before her. Out in the water was a truly massive bald cypress tree. Surrounding it were a ring of smaller but still large cypress trees and then a forest of mangroves and smaller cypress trees and saplings. Johanna couldn’t see past the canopy but the fact that there were trees there meant the water wasn’t too deep and she needed to get over there. The wails were coming from beyond the tree-line.

With a surprising amount of energy she splashed into the water and found it came up only to the base of her neck so she could walk through the murky water. She kicked up a fair amount of sediment on her way and if she cared to look back she’d see it shift in a way that belayed there was more there than just water. Once at the main tree-line of mangroves that extended east she grabbed the branches and hauled herself up onto the canopy with a tired groan. The mud tried to hold onto her feet but she was insistent. The canopy was easier going than the water and she clambered through the branches with only a bit of strain. More than one pair of eyes watched her from the water’s surface.

“Oh Windsinger’s gale,” she huffed when she saw what lay on the other side of the ring of trees. It was a great, sandy bowl in the water where at the center was a large rocky opening from which fresh water poured. Rising up from the sand on one side and sort of cupping the spring was the roots and trunk of the massive bald cypress. It from within she could hear the pitiful sounds which were now much softer but still were like a fist around her heart. She hadn’t been able to help those Rhodes children but she could help this one! She didn’t fancy a swim in the spring water. Usually swamp springs like this were icy.

Johanna tested her wings. Could she make the short flight? It was only a hundred or so feet. She could make it. She could do it. She steadied herself on the highest branches of one of the shorter cypress trees and launched herself into the air. She grunted in pain as her not fully healed wing strained to catch the wind but she did. She only needed three flaps before she could glide the rest of the way and landed as best she could on the great trunk, clinging to the side like a gecko. Now where was that baby? She looked around and her antenna twitched. She couldn’t feel anything. That was impossible.

Clambering around the trunk Johanna looked for the source the continued whimpering. She could pick up nothing empathetically from her gem even when she tried very hard and it infuriated her. She climbed down towards the roots and found a part of the tree that had been dug out by some animal to make a natural little den with access to the water and the spring. Johanna had to get a bit wet to gain access to it and she was right! The spring water was freezing! Ignoring the chill she clambered into the den which was several times larger than her and came face to face with the source of the noise.

She’d been expecting a whimpering child. Instead she found a young adult Guardian, easily twice her size, with big pale green eyes and salty tear tracks partially dried on her face and hanging as little droplets off her facial fins. Her brown hide was covered in rosette patterns and her green wings carried the rare butterfly motif. But the oddest of all was her belly and stomach spine. It seemed almost hollow and filled with a pastel nebula. Johanna had never seen a genetic mutation like that before and she had seen many. But none of that mattered. What mattered was this poor thing seemed to be in great pain.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt?” Johanna asked, moving closer to her. The guardian jerked away, pulling back and away from Johanna fearfully, to press up against the back of the small hollow of a den they’d found. Made? “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you,” Johanna said gently as her gem started glowing gently to offer soothing feelings. It either didn’t help or had no effect because it didn’t seem to make the Guardian any less distressed. “Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you,” she reached out a claw and gently put it on the Guardian’s arm.

She expected it to be snatched away or for them to lash out. Instead they just looked down at Johanna’s claw and then up at her with wide eyes. “Y-you’re real?” she asked in a small voice.

“Yes. I’m real,” Johanna said gently. “I’m very real. Are you alright? I heard you.”

The Guardian looked away, shaking her head, blinking hard, looking at the wall. It looked like she saw something here but made no mention of it. “No,” she said and looked at Johanna with wide eyes, her pupils little pricks in her eyes. She looked very scared.

“I’m Johanna,” she said and hopped a bit closer, taking the Guardian’s claw in both of hers. “What’s your name?”

“Name?” She got a far off look in her eyes like she needed to remember. “Layali,” she said. “Are you sure you’re real?” she asked nervously.

“Yes. I’m real, you don’t have to be afraid. You aren’t alone now,” she said soothingly and tried to project some soothing empathetic feelings. Layali didn’t seem affected by them.

“I’m not?”

“No. I’m here now,” she found herself saying. What was she saying? She was supposed to be crossing the swamp to get back to the rim and eventually the Plateau. But looking into Layali’s Wind green eyes she knew that wouldn’t be happening. Her House didn’t need her; Anastasia ran it just fine without her. The Clan didn’t need her; there were other, younger, generals to lead their paladins into battle. The Dragonlord didn’t need her… didn’t want her. This poor young thing needed her, needed a kind soul in an empty swamp where she was alone.

“You are?” Layali asked, afraid still but more in disbelief than anything.

“Yes,” Johanna said kindly. “Now why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?” Layali just shook her head, her neck swaying back and forth. “Alright, then we can just sit here, together. Whatever had you screaming won’t hurt you while I’m here.”

“You don’t know that,” Layali whispered.

“I’m a paladin,” Johanna said, lifting her head regally. “Nothing gets by me.”

Layali’s lips curled up a bit. She nodded. “Okay. That sounds good.” She lifted her off side wing. “This is my brother, Rahab,” she said. Johanna looked at the thing and wasn’t sure what to make of it. It didn’t look like a dragon really. It looked almost like a brilliant tropical fish with legs and huge draconic eyes in a little head. Then their head frills moved and she realized with shock that it was a fae. But it didn’t have any wings. Rather they’d become decorative fins that could be used to propel them through water but were flimsy out of the water and useless for flight. “We’ve been here alone a long time.”

Johanna tore her eyes away from the wretch of a fae. What was wrong with it? “Well you aren’t alone now. Now you have me,” she said firmly.

Layali dipped her head low. “Thank you,” she whispered so softly, almost a whimper. “Thank you for coming to us, Johanna,” and she started crying again. Johanna just took her head in her arms and held it, shushing her gently and petting her along the top of the head. She stayed like that well after night fell and darkness gathered around them.

#flight rising #fr lore #fr lore share #lore share #a share if you liked it would be muy beuno!#cypress hall

16 notes · View notes