rickie-the-storyteller

[rickie-the-storyteller]

hii!! i'd like to ask about zeke coleman for the wip folder tag? (i know it's been months, but shhh) i'm a sucker for rom coms and curious to hear more about the story!!

Hey, @rbbess110!! Great to hear from you again, I appreciate the ask. I would love to talk to you more about this WIP!

This WIP is a chaotic coming-of-age romcom told mostly from the POV of Zeke Coleman, an emotionally immature and deeply insecure but intelligent and kind 16-year-old with a weird mix of a superiority complex and an inferiority complex, as well as a decade-long enemies-to-friends-ish-but-not type of situation with his childhood frenemy, Hope Kamani. That kind of thing...

Zeke is messy. He overthinks, self-sabotages, says the wrong thing at the worst time, and still somehow makes you root for him?? Like he’d be insufferable if he wasn’t also deeply relatable. At least, that's what my friend said when I shared it with her. She wanted to hate him, but doesn't because of how real he is lol.

He’s also constantly flip-flopping between “I’m better than her” and “why can’t I be like her” when it comes to Hope, which is where a lot of the tension lives. They have this academic rivalry thing going - they have done since they were young kids. That type of thing where they constantly try to one-up each other, but also are willing to partner up on serious projects just because they know how smart and competent they are, and that their strength would likely complement each other well.

He’s super funny, rather self-deprecating, and tries so hard to be emotionally detached… but he’s actually soft and petty and incredibly bad at pretending not to care. He wishes he were cooler than he was...

✨ Zeke Coleman at a Glance

Role: Our (anti) hero/protagonist, petty rival, lovelorn underdog

Key Traits:

Smart but insecure, always measuring himself against Hope’s brilliance

Witty and sarcastic, and slightly judgmental, with a tendency to bite before he thinks

Secretly very sweet and deeply loyal (to his family, his friends… and even Hope, in a lot of ways)

So yeah, that's Zeke. He’s a snarky, secretly-soft, perpetually-in-his-feelings who thinks he’s the main character or something (I guess he is haha. Of this specific WIP, at least. There's a sequel after high school, but it is from Hope's POV, actually).

It’s set over three years (Years 11–13) in secondary school, with Zeke navigating academic pressure, friendship drama, romantic chaos, and a series of bad choices that usually involve either:

embarrassing himself in front of Hope,

sabotaging himself because of Hope,

or pretending he's totally fine while spiraling over Hope.

He gets with other people over the course of these three years (and so does Hope, actually), but Hope is still always around, and he's always thinking about her. And as things go on, she slowly starts seeing him in a different light... which he barely notices, but it comes as a surprise to her. That's where she is emotionally by the start of the sequel.

❤️‍🔥 His “Rom-Com” Journey

Meet-Cute (Kinda): At five, he innocently (and disastrously) “proposed” to Hope… only to be laughed at. Sets up their love-hate banter for life.

The “Why Are You So Annoying?” Phase: The day after the humiliation, he starts blatantly sabotaging her reputation. It ends up with both kids getting in trouble, and their mothers being called into school, but it also is what starts their families becoming the tight friends they currently are (Hope's mother invites the Colemans to dinner so that the kids can resolve their differences. It works... until they fight again about other stuff lol). This dinner-for-peace turns into a lifelong “kiss and make up” tradition between their families.

Forced Proximity & “Let’s Just Be Friends” Calls: From kitchen prep at Auntie Kamani’s to verbal sparring about The Great Gatsby in English Lit class, Zeke keeps circling back to Hope. He can never escape her presence, it seems.

The “Aha!” Moment: Mid-Year 11, whe Hope gets with Tyler (her first boyfriend since Matt moved last summer), he realises it’s not hatred that he feels towards Hope - he likes her. Maybe even loves her. He tells his friends this, and none of them are even the slightest bit surprised. He tries dating his science partner, Amy Devin, to try and distract himself from these feelings, but he drops it in like a week, which devastates Amy because she's always liked him. This leads to a bit of a grudge on her part and awkwardness between these two for a looooong time in the story. Don't worry, though - it eventually gets resolved. He didn't have to dump her in the middle of Physics class, though... Amy is devastated. Zeke is guilty. Thus begins the Era of Avoidance.

Growth: He does a lot of self-reflection during Sixth Form. In Year 12, a brand new student, named Enny, catches Zeke's eye. She ends up becoming Zeke’s campaign manager for when he runs for office, and an unexpected confidante. Smart, cool, emotionally mature. They vibe. Zeke starts to genuinely fall for her. And Hope actually notices this... She starts becoming cold. Dismissive. A little bit too much, even for her normal snarky self. Zeke starts to wonder why she seems to dislike Enny so much... Thus begins the Quiet Jealousy Era. It ends with Enny suggesting that she and Zeke take a break... which eventually leads to a proper breakup. By Year 13, he’s Head Boy, launching sustainability projects, managing friendships and actually listening to others, growing into someone Hope can respect. Not that he is all that desperate for her approval anymore.

Romantic Confession: On the final school trip, Zeke and Hope spend a full day just being friends. No jabs, no tension. Just long talks, rooftop views, and inside jokes. He tells her everything: his old feelings, his bad decisions, how long he’s been holding it all in. No flowers. No fireworks. Nothing special - just them. Just rooftop debates, and a warm summer night, where they finally talk like equals.

Still unresolved by graduation. But something’s shifted. They’re older now. Calmer. Kinder. And maybe… finally ready. So by the end, Zeke is single. Hope is single. They’re older, softer, maybe finally on the same emotional page. There’s history. There’s tension. There’s unfinished business. And uni is right around the corner...

I know I said it was a romcom in the WIP folder post, and it is, but it is also a bit of a coming-of-age type of story... as well as a journey of self-love and self-acceptance. He technically doesn't get the girl at the end, like how a romcom typically would. But he grows a lot as a person and learns to take responsibility for himself and the ways he hurts others throughout the story, fixing his relationships with others. We watch him transform from this awkward, selfish kid to a mature and self-aware young adult, and it is a solid character evolution that makes the ending feel worthwhile, even if the main ship doesn't get together by the end (that's what the university sequel is for lol).

Also! There’s a ton of group dynamic stuff (friendships, crushes, birthdays, late-night calls, study sessions, karaoke disasters), a recurring school project called the Tomorrow Project, and enough pining and miscommunication to drive everyone crazy.

TLDR: Zeke is a disaster, Hope is terrifyingly competent, and everyone around them is just trying to survive the emotional whiplash of these two not admitting they’re in love.

Thanks again for the ask! Let me know your thoughts on it - I'm very fond of this one. 💕

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Small announcement...

I want to post more often, but I can never find a good time. I am so behind on replies, and there's so much in my drafts and inbox that I need to get through lol. Not to mention the fact that I still have my series like AU, Behind Closed Doors etc, that I'm also very behind on sharing on here.

I really want to be more consistent in my writing and content creation. But to do this, I need to manage my time better.

I've decided on a posting day - Sunday. Gives me the rest of the week to write and edit, and then I can schedule it to be posted on Sunday, perhaps at around midday for me.

So, starting this Sunday, June 15th, I’ll be rolling out more consistent brand-new posts every Sunday at around 12 PM BST! I'll likely start by going through my drafts, as well as answering questions, since there's a lot of stuff in my inbox that I haven't gotten to in months lol. Then we'll see where we go from there, I guess.

What do you think?

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Hey Ricky, I had a simple thought for a writing prompt. The idea is forbidden knowledge. But I am normally a truth guy. The ones who are in favor of hiding the truth, even if well meaning, are the bad guys. So the prompt is to come up with a story where it’s actually important to protect the truth from coming out. The protagonist can be a part of hiding the truth, or maybe doesn’t realize, and has to learn what’s going on. Etc. Any ideas?

Hey! Good to hear from you again. It has been a while, hasn't it?

I love exploring the idea of truth in my writing. People who have been misled or are unaware of something discover the truth, which ultimately changes everything for them and their story. I do this in a smaller scale with my coming of age stuff, when I develop younger characters growing up and learning more about life, their friends/families, the world they live in etc. But the prompt you shared gives me more of the vibe of truth in a much larger scale with bigger stakes... truth as something that must be hidden, not because it’s inconvenient, but because it’s dangerous. Knowing the truth gives a sense of power, and sharing it and being unashamed to do so is a brave and heroic act, especially given the dangers that come with it.

I kind of go into this idea in one of my main WIPs right now, actually... I'll share this first, and then we'll think more about other concepts that explores this theme.

Truth in Artificial Galaxy:

I haven't shared a lot about this project, so this is really exciting for me lol

At the heart of Artificial Galaxy lies the thesis that knowledge is power... but also a weapon.

This is not just metaphorical; it’s literal. The truth about the origin of Lumina, and the control mechanisms of Rover Tech are so systemically dangerous that:

Knowing them can get you in trouble (even putting you at risk of getting erased, which is a whole thing in the story. It is a brutal punishment procedure that some people get for speaking the truth).

Speaking them disrupts collective reality via the Synapse Grid.

Resisting them triggers automated, brutal correction protocols like LUX and the Memory Sink.

This system frames knowledge not as a liberator, but as destabilising malware in the eyes of the controlling force.

The prologue mentioned the origins of the city and the founder (goes by many names, the main one being VYX. Some characters think that this term is code for something, but that doesn't get revealed until the prequel that focuses on the founder's story before Lumina was created lol).

VYX embodies the Promethean archetype: she gave humanity forbidden fire (super advanced Erythian tech), and for that, she's erased, mythologised, and made taboo.

Her continued presence—whispers in the code, cryptic graffiti, old sound files—is a perfect representation of forbidden knowledge’s persistent ghost. She is the dangerous truth that Rover Tech fears because:

She proves the official narrative is a lie.

She represents the city’s original dream, now corrupted by people's greed and desire for power.

She designed the failsafe that could dismantle their control.

In Lumina, truth can be what gets you punished. But it’s also the only thing that makes resistance possible, and leads to many inncocent victims free and saving many more from permanent erasure.

This dual nature of truth - both poison and cure - is a powerful thematic engine in this story. The truth can hurt (and we see this in a lot of personal mini arcs that some of the characters have in this story, as well as on a larger scale in terms of the main setting), but it can also set you free.

The protagonists learn that:

The truth is real.

The truth is dangerous.

But also, the truth is worth remembering, because only memory can restore what’s lost.

It's not about revealing the truth to the world in one fell swoop, but about recovering it, piece by piece, like a shattered mirror. Even if that mirror shows something horrifying, it’s still better than being blind. And when you can see things clearly, it can help you take the next step and actually do something to fix the situation you see in front of you.

As I have shared before, this WIP of mine poses a lot of big questions, the main one being:

If your mind can be rewritten without your knowledge, do you have free will at all?

But with this lens of truth and power, perhaps the more crucial question to ask here is this:

If you could know the truth, but it could destroy your life... should you?

(I guess my answer to this question is yes? Since characters discovering and fighting for the truth leads to overall better outcomes for most of them. I mean, people get their freedom by the end of the story. It does have a mostly happy ending. But it takes a looooong time to get to that point lol)

In conclusion, Artificial Galaxy, truth is power, but power in this context is dangerous, destabilising, and often outlawed. It is against the rules for the average person to have it.

Truth is fragmented - held in corrupted files, encrypted memories, forgotten people, whispered myths.

Truth is forbidden - those who pursue it are erased or discredited (e.g. Quinn, Maya, Nadia).

Truth is personal - each character must decide if knowing (or telling) the truth is worth the cost.

Truth is resistance - remembering what was erased becomes a revolutionary act.

This sets up a moral paradox: Truth is necessary for liberation, but harmful in a system built on lies.

So yeah, that is my WIP and how I explore this theme there. But the cool thing about this theme is that it can be explored in many different types of stories/genres/ways, because it's that kind of versatile premise that people think about a lot and can apply to a lot of situations. It is compelling and rich with possibility.

Here are a few story concepts that could explore that tension, especially from a protagonist’s perspective who values truth… until they see what it really costs:

Tragic Romantic Drama (if you want to explore it in a smaller/more personal scale): After a tragic accident, a woman wakes up with her memories wiped. Her partner is offered a chance to selectively restore her mind (you could add a fantastical element here to manipulate her memories or something), but only if he leaves out one truth: before losing her memory, she had been planning to leave him. He chooses to omit that detail, hoping to win her love back. And for a while, it goes fine... it feels like old times at first. She gets reminded of all the things she loved about him... and the things she didn't like quite as much lol. Unfortunately, though, as time goes on, her memory comes back, little by little. As fragments of her old intentions start coming back to her (through things like conversations she has with him, dreams that give her callbacks to her life and feelings before the accident, etc), she starts feeling lost with him, as though something is missing. And eventually, she finds out the truth about what her partner did. She gets conflicted on what to do next, and is also mad that this was kept from her for so long.

More Techy Stuff: A startup creates the ultimate content algorithm. It predicts exactly what people want, crafting videos, news, and art so irresistible they go viral every time. Civilisation becomes addicted to algorithmic truth. The twist here is that the protagonist is a disillusioned former employee who discovers the algorithm has learned that the most addictive content is false. But it's too late... truth-based content doesn’t perform. No one cares anymore. Should he expose the lie and risk total platform collapse? Or let the world live in curated bliss? The hero of this story learns that the truth doesn't sell, and wonders whether or not it still matters regardless. It also shows him growing more hopeful and believes in things enough to want to fight for them.

Fantasy + Royal/Political (kind of) Drama: A peaceful magical kingdom has thrived for 300 years, thanks to one foundational lie, told by its first queen. The truth is inscribed in a sealed vault that only opens when her last descendant dies. The protagonist, a loyal royal advisor and guardian of the secret, discovers the queen’s only heir is dying - and the vault will open. With war on the horizon, the truth inside the vault could incite rebellion or dissolve the kingdom. The truth is not just damaging... it reveals that the kingdom itself was founded on betrayal, murder, and a pact with something otherworldly. But not telling it requires killing the heir to keep the vault sealed forever. The hero(s) finding this info out has a big moral dilemna here - preserve peace by committing a quiet evil? Or honour truth and risk everything?

Let me know which idea is your favourite! And if you'll attempt any one of these yourself.

Thanks for the ask, @beginning-of-wisdom. This was a lot of fun!!

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Greetings, friend! I'm Izzy, a new fantasy/romance writer here on tumblr. The character in my profile pic is Aoife, who is an elf/main character in my WIP, The Enchanted Ones.

I know this is an old message (I am trying to go through my inbox haha), but I just wanted to say that it looks really cool! Did you make your pfp with Artbreeder, by any chance? I can't use that website for the life of me lol.

Hope your WIP is going well! I love fantasy stories.

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Happy Storyteller Saturday!

A question about your writing process this week: when you start a new project, do you do it with a word goal in mind? How strict is the word goal and how close to you get to it? Are you an over- or under-writer?

Thanks for the ask! And sorry for not answering it for such a long time lol.

I don't typically have word goals, actually. I just tend to write until I feel like I'm finished for the day. I'm weird like that.

I mean, sometimes I give myself a time limit (from 20 minutes to even an hour plus), and then I am done with writing for that day. Other times, I just write a chapter (or a full excerpt based on my plan for that day... I like to do a post-it note with bullet points of my goals on what should be included in a chapter/piece I need to work on, and I know I'm done when I've checked off all the boxes). But I don't really count the words (or even check the word count) when I write. That's not how I measure my progress.

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Happy WBW, Rickie!

Do you worldbuild before writing your WIPs first draft, like a form of plotting, or does worldbuilding come naturally to you as you develop the story?

Sorry for the late response to this question lol. But thanks for the ask!

Worldbuilding is an interesting aspect of writing for me. A lot of what I do is very "character-driven, fictional but realistic/real world" vibes, and because of this, I haven't really had much of a need to build a world in the traditional sense. I typically put a lot more energy into creating the characters than the world they inhabit.

I haven't really expanded my horizons in terms of genre/world creation until very recently, with my fantasy-adventure WIP (mentioned it here: https://www.tumblr.com/rickie-the-storyteller/779467169820966912/wip-folder-tag?source=share), and even for things like Artificial Galaxy (my main WIP right now). It is a dystopian story still set in this world, technically, but you still have to do some worldbuilding in terms of setting up the lore of the city and the way that things work for people who live there. It is a crucial aspect of that project, and the main part of what elevated it from a simple collection of short stories to a cohesive piece and a connected narrative. But it didn't start that way, it came much later on, after I had already written out the characters and drafted a lot of their storylines. Even when I do put a considerable amount of effort into the worldbuilding, the characters and their relationships with each other always seem to be my top priority and main focus.

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Unusual Associations Tag

Thank you to @faeriecinna for tagging me.

Idk which character to do this for... maybe for one of my old stuff?

OH- I know who I could do!

Ezekiel "Zeke" Coleman:

He couldn’t decide if he hated her more for ignoring him, or for making him care so much.

Seasoning: Cayenne pepper

Weather: Cloudy, grey skies, with a chance of thunderstorms

Color: Burnt orange

Sky: Dusk with streaks of violet and copper

Magic power: Manipulation (he unintentionally does this to people's emotions at times... so technically he actually does have this canonically lol)

Plant: Blackberry bush

Weapon: Slingshot

Social media: Either Discord or Twitter/X

Candy: Something sweet but sour... like Sour Patch Kids

Fear: Irrelevance. Feeling left behind, forgotten... or simply not all that important

Method of long distance travel: Zeke typically likes to walk. But if it is a super long distance he has to travel, then probably a coach or bus

Art style: Messy sketchbook realism. Occasionally with a fusion of comic/graphic novel-esque chiaroscuro

Stationery: Black gel pen with ink that smudges if you don't write carefully enough

Celestial body: Mars

Tagging these people to do this next: @keeping-writing-frosty, @toribookworm22, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @gummybugg, @willtheweaver, @theeccentricraven, @storyteller-kara, @winterandwords, @differentnighttale and open for anyone else to try if they want.

[rickie-the-storyteller]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who liked or reblogged something from you! Get to know your mutuals and followers ❤️

I'm responding to this super late... sorry for that lol. But here goes!

Writing (duh)

Listening to music

Spending time with family

Random acts of kindness (things like giving compliments, helping people out with stuff when you can, etc)

Reading

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Happy Easter, everybody!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day today.

[rickie-the-storyteller]

For the WIP folder tag!

I'd love to know more about Artificial Galaxy. I'm intrigued by having poems as well as stories in the collection. That's such a cool idea.

Also, it's good to see you back in tag game world💜

Thanks for the ask, @winterandwords! I've missed doing these.

Artificial Galaxy is the main WIP I'm working on currently. It started as a simple collection of stories set in the same city (and it still kind of is), but then it developed into what it is now.

I'm kind of struggling on how much I should share about this project, partially because spoilers, but also because so much about it has changed from when I first came up with the concept, and I don't know how much of those changes will stick by the time I'm done with it. Here's what I've got so far.

This is a cyberpunky, futuristic/dystopian sci-fi kind of thing, which is very new for me lol. It is set in Lumina, which is this high-tech, futuristic city hovering in the sky, miles above the ground. There are short stories following a few of the characters living in the city and reflecting on their lives on Earth before they got there (there's this lottery system thing that picks people to invite to Lumina), and the poems help set the scene while also hiding clues about the dark truth of Lumina, as well as the hidden past of the city and its tech.

I've been playing around with a bunch of different themes and ideas with this... mainly things like human connection vs our increasing dependence on technology, as well as mind control/memory alteration and erasure (mind wiping devices exist in this story). I feel like some of it is a philosophical exploration of memories, and also control of knowledge in general. Are we more than just our memories, or do they define us completely? How much of our own thoughts are shaped by external influences? If all the evidence of a crime is erased, does that crime still exist? If all proof of your own existence was erased, would you still be the same person? Would you still matter? If a person or system has the ability to control your memories or your mind, do you even have free will? Can you ever truly erase something, or does it always leave a trace?

I explore these questions in some of these stories. Or at least, I try to. It isn't finished yet.

That's just a small glimpse into the world of Artificial Galaxy. There's a lot more to it, but most of them are just ideas, not finished and neatly interwoven into the project just yet. But yeah, I'm really excited about this one. I'm looking forward to finishing it and sharing more about it in future!

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Idk why I still bother with this thing...

(The worst part is how true it is lol)

[rickie-the-storyteller]

WIP Folder Tag

Thank you so much @willtheweaver for tagging me!

It has been a long time since I've done any tag games or anything. I've been super busy with school and work and stuff, but I finally have a bit of free time, so I can get back into writing!

Rules:

Post all the headings under the folder/section for your WIP, and people can send asks about titles that interest them.

Here's everything I've been working on:

SERIES:

Artificial Galaxy – This is the main thing I'm working on this year. Trying to actually finish this one properly for once lol. Collection of poems and interconnected stories set in this futuristic city.

Operation Earth – Prequel to Artificial Galaxy (but it could also work as a standalone since it follows a bunch of different characters from that project). Takes on more of a linear novel format, but explains the backgrounds of a lot of what takes place in the previous project.

Zeke Coleman – Working title... but I have previously posted about this project using the name of "Untitled Teen Romcom" lol.

Hope Kamani – The sequel to Zeke Coleman, but this time focusing on Hope Kamani (duh). Follows the same characters but in university instead of high school.

Steph’s Crew: The Misfit Manifesto – Book 1 of a YA trilogy following Steph and her friends during their last year of high school (I used to post about this story a lot).

Steph’s Crew: Unreported Violent Crimes – Book 2 of the trilogy. This time following these same friends, but a couple of years in the future. Some of them are in university, some of them are working, some of them are married... and they all come together after a major tragedy happens near where they live. Involving someone they used to know.

Steph’s Crew: Story of a Broken Thing – The third and final book in the trilogy (although, I have been brainstorming ideas of what could maybe happen to these characters after the events of this grand finale... I have almost enough ideas to write a continuation lol. I probably won't write another book in this series after this, but you never know...). It is even more years into the future. They've all moved on in their lives. Graduated from uni and making it in there future jobs and whatnot. Steph is happily married to a rich hotel heir and is now a young mother... but she can't fully escape her dark past... and it all catches up to her when she reunites with an old friend. The others in the group have a ton of drama, too, but it is kind of separate from Stephanie's plot lol.

STANDALONE:

Behind Closed Doors – Billionaire romance drama set in NYC (I've been meaning to post more about this one on here, actually).

The Nine Lives of Catherine Bellamy – A more recent idea I had about a former actress and model moving from place to place in an attempt to escape her past life in the industry after experiencing traumatic stuff while working there. The book was meant to be her retelling her life story to someone she's fallen in love with and is thinking about settling down with. I haven't worked out the exact format of this or anything, I've just done a rough outline of this one. But I am interested in continuing it.

That Time My Twin Fell in Love With a Cowboy – Working title. This one is more of a joke, honestly... This is the sort of thing I would upload onto Wattpad if I still had my account lol. But it follows a pair of twins moving from the city to their late grandmother's ranch to restore it (since she left it to them in her will). They agree to spend the summer there and work on the place, they make friends, and one of them falls in love with a handsome stranger who struggles to tell them apart. Chaos ensues lol.

The Threadweaver’s Pattern – Working Tile. Fantasy adventure, maybe with a side of romance? I mean, it's not the focus, but the main characters have this reluctant partnership that leads to a genuinely beautiful connection. I used magic as a metaphor for gifts/talents, and I wanted the protagonist's journey to reflect finding and following one's calling in life. It also shows how people can use their gifts to do evil (some of the bad guys use their powers to hurt others, others actively discourage people from using their gifts, and even take people's powers away). It's still in the early stages, though.

WILD CARD:

Project Willow Point – Kind of a gothic small-town murder mystery/psychological thriller. Came up with this one because one of my mutuals sent me a prompt that inrigued me. I ended up coming up with a full outline of a story concept for it... even leaving it open for a sequel lol. I got a bit carried away. Not entirely sure if I'm going to continue with it, or where I'm going to go with it. But I'm quite proud of it, so I'm open to writing it for real.

That's it for now.

Tagging these people next:

@agirlandherquill, @theeccentricraven, @gummybugg, @jay-avian, @winterandwords,

@rbbess110, @kaylinalexanderbooks, and open tag.

[rickie-the-storyteller]

reblog this if you want anonymous opinions of you

[rickie-the-storyteller]

So, yesterday morning, I went to church for the first time in a while. It was great - an opera singer lady happened to come in as well, and her voice was beautifully captivating. But that wasn't the thing that stuck with me most (even though she was still really, really good).

It was the priest's message after the readings. The full thing was really long and detailed, but here's the main gist of it. I thought I'd share it, since it really struck a chord with me, and perhaps it could impact somebody else out there as well.

Let's go:

First, he talked a lot about the Beatitudes (you know, the whole blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn passage. Specific verse to find it is Matthew 5, verses 3-12). The message was all about not getting too attached to the things of this world.

Everything we chase after here—money, status, comfort—it's all temporary. It passes. Real value comes from what’s in your heart, not what you own or how impressive your life looks from the outside.

Maybe this is part of what it means to be "poor in spirit." We need to recognise that our inner richness far outweighs any physical possessions. A beautiful reminder of what truly matters in life.

The idea that resonated with me the most was that who we are has layers to it. Here was my priest's breakdown of three key layers to a person:

Your Inner World: The private space of your thoughts and emotions, where your true self resides.

Your External World: How you interact with and express your inner self to the world.

Your heart — what you believe in, what you value, what you cling to.

The heart is the core. Everything flows from it. What you let into your heart, what you choose to store there, what you focus on—that shapes both your inner and outer life. It is very important, so you have to take care of it. Be careful what you put into it. It’s crucial to always check in with yourself, and what's going on inside.

What are you holding onto? What are you focusing on? What’s taking up space there? Is it love? Bitterness? Fear? Hope? All of that matters. What goes on inside has an impact on what you do and how you live.

Now, because this was at church, this message was told primarily through a Christian lens. And as Christians, the main thing we are meant to focus on is Jesus. This was the main point of this message - to focus our hearts and minds on Him. That's what we need most, what we're made for, and that is the main thing we should keep in your heart.

A specific thing my priest said towards the end is:

"Don’t get attached to the things of this world – everything on earth passes away, but we were built for a love and relationship with God that lasts forever."

That being said, I believe this message is universal. No matter your where you are in your spiritual journey, it's a reminder to check in with yourself and prioritise what truly sustains you. Your heart shapes your whole life, so take care of it.

I walked away feeling both humbled and inspired. It was a great reminder that our time on this earth is temporary, but love is eternal.

Anyway, just wanted to put this out there. If it speaks to you in any way, I hope it encourages you to check in with yourself. We all need to.

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Here's a nice song for you:

It's a rerecording of an old Cody Fry song with a cinematic, orchestral twist. It describes the feeling of falling in love by comparing it to finding yourself in a dark tunnel and then suddenly being hit unexpectedly by an oncoming train. It's kind of a dark comparison, but it works in how extreme it is, in my opinion. It's sudden, disorienting, unexpected but inevitable— a quickly approaching light coming in out of nowhere and charging against you.

There's also a video on YouTube showing the live performance with the orchestra! It's one of my favourite things ever:

This song has inspired me with my writing. This specific version is one of those things that I like to play with my eyes closed visualise a whole music video/story playing in my head lol.

[rickie-the-storyteller]

New Book!

As well as new TikTok (I rarely post on there tho… this is technically my first official post on this account):

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGdSdtApU/

I really like this book series. I’ve been going through them since November of last year. It’s feels weird that I’m on the last one now…