#mt blaze has always been there. go to sleep

[ask-haphazard]

For Malachi: Is it possible for a landmark to move places over time? There were some tales that had placed Mt. Blaze much further away from you all.

Malachi: Oh, not to my knowledge, but magic does incredible things! You may be thinking of the movement of tectonic plates, but that takes millions of years. Mt. Blaze has always been where it is. Perhaps you've been fed some suspect information?

[retroandreal]

Lose You (Darius x MC)

HAAAAAAAA!! This was sooo overdue... I’m so sorry for the people I disappointed (I’m sorry my discord family) This one took me a really long time cause I wanted to capture Darius’ angst during the whole ordeal of controlling his powers which took longer than expected... like 3 days overdue @official-alex-cyprin​ cause I love you, crouton loves you xoxox

AN: This was inspired by the song ‘Lose You’ by Eric Nam, who is like my favourite male singer.

Warnings; angst (i tried) and like a small soft smut scene which is more fluff than sinning smut... bye I’m leaving...

“I’m going to be leaving you for a while”

The shock on her face says it all. Shock? Betrayal? Confusion? I read her like an open book, but I just cannot bare to shut away our story yet. I am not the man worthy to be standing by her side, how can I when all I feel is the guilt of possessing a demon inside of me while being an assassin myself. I would take a thousand more beatings from Cal than to have her turn her back on me. This is why I have to do this; to be apart from you, so I can learn how to control the demons inside of me to keep you safe and carefree for the rest of time itself.

“Da-Darius… what about me?”

A single tear runs down the side of her face, catching the luminescent neon lights of the Ferris-wheel we ascended to the top of. A soft whisper comes out of her

“You can’t leave me, Darius…”

I dare walk the few paces that separate the distance between us. I silently ask for her permission to touch her, to wipe away the stray tear. She leans into my touch. It’s painful. I close my eyes to savor the feeling of her bare skin against the palm of my hand.  

Eyes wide shut, dreamin’ about you

“Listen, I’m not leaving you forever. But I will be leaving the old me behind; the Darius that is confused about himself, the Darius that is afraid of falling, the Darius that withers at the feeling of commitment. But I promise I will come back a better man. A man worthy to be standing beside you as an assassin, as Lust, as Darius Ricci and as yours. I will carry your love with me until I can bask in the feelings of being in your presence again. For now, though, I need to become that man you deserve.”

Hot blood rush turning a cold blue

She collapses her body inwards towards mine. So full of life yet trembling at the thought that she will have to live some time without her near me. The feeling of her softness and weight ebbs and flows through me like the calmness of the rooftop pool where we once made love. The smooth riding of the freight train where she and I made love again under the sapphire moonlight. Those moments in time will forever be suspended in my memory as I recall my forever known Lust being turned on it’s head and replaced by the foreign feeling of love.

“When will you come back to me, Darius?”

I let out a pained sigh.

“I don’t know yet, but I promise the moment I know when it’s right I will return to you”

I gently push her back but still keep a gentle hold on both her shoulders. Her trembling has receded, and her tears have all dried up; now looking at me, expectantly. She has opened my eyes to so many new things about this sinful world. One that I though that has been plagued by the demons. All my life I only knew how to be content with what I have. But she taught me how to love, and now I need to learn how to love myself again.

“I’m going to learn to love myself, so that I can love you”

Staring at perfection, I’m about to wreck it. It’s just something I gotta do

I need to start fresh with myself, come to terms with the demon inside of me that will always be threatening to take over my body. For the troupe, for myself, and for her.

I think I wanna lose you, just to find my way back to you

I give her one last kiss, desperate to relish in the feeling of her unrequited love she is so willing to offer to me despite all the ugliness that I have shown her, forced upon her.

Then I jump to the world below. Leaving my one true love where I once stood next to her.

I don’t wanna to let go, but I gotta let go

~~~~~

It’s been only a few days and I miss her already. The bleakness of this abandoned shipping container that I dare to call ‘home’ does nothing to calm my desperation to be next to her again. But I know I have to hold out, I need to become strong enough to stand next to her and keep her safe; from the demons around us and the demon within me that is constantly trying to claw its way from the chambers of my control and take over. Counting my days that I estimate to be in here, I decide not to continue living out of my duffle bag and unpack the bare necessities that I brought with me. Assigning the appropriate places of the minimal items that I brough I finally have enough courage to fish out the final thing out of the bottom of the bag; my blanket. Our blanket. The blanket that we both used while we riskily made love on the moving train that one night. I never felt as free as I did on that night; free to delve into the lust that I have always suppressed… finally letting it all out and carry the night with myself and MC in a long moment of bliss and love. I bundle the blanket to cover my face and I deeply breathe in; taking in its scent.

“Still smells like her”

You might think I’m some kind of crazy

I flop down on the sorry excuse of a bed and cocoon myself within the blanket, making myself an oasis in the form of a blanket burrito. If only she was here with me, it would be a perfect moment just shared between the both of us. In a sense, I always used sex as a tool to wield; to get close, to manipulate and even to use sex as a meaningless pastime. Sure, I hurt many women but something inside me knew that she was out there. Now, sex is a cherished moment between her and I, that I would never dare to share with anyone else. I want so badly to be sharing the same bed as you. I know you and can even so far as predict you; you’re lying in my bed, the only way you can physically be close to me without me being next to you. Trust me; I really want that too. But we can’t. You’re not safe with me.

I can’t blame you if you hate me, asking me “did you even love me?”

I adjust myself while suppressing the needy feeling of lust and make myself comfortable for another endless night of attempting to sleep… and as usual, sleep doesn’t come easy. Pulling my phone from the charging port, the bright light obstructs my vision as my eyes adjust to the sudden brightness. My lock-screen is so predictable; her and I on top of the very train, in our bare intimates and our blanket wrapped around us, her kissing my cheek and my fist pumped straight into the air. It’s amazing how different a week in time can become. Now I lay here… alone.

It’s just something I gotta do

~~~~~

"Fuck... that one hurt a lot"

I look at the burning flesh on my right forearm, leaking with the demonic green blood. Quickly rushing to the sink to assist in closing up the wound, the coolness of the water does nothing to soothe the pulsating ache of the newly open wound. Medical procedures were never really up my alley. Usually Malakai and his basic first-aid training paired with a few hours of bedrest did wonders for me. Recently, before my departure from the troupe, she was always the one who tended to our wounds... paying closer attention to me. Those gentle touches are what I miss on a daily basis; from the purposeful wound cleaning and firm bandaging to the teasing yet pleasurable touches she gave me whenever we had a moment to ourselves. Only she knew how to bring me to such climatic bliss. She knows my body so well, but not without due experience of exploring each other's needs and limitations. It's amazing how far the human body can be pushed to its limit. But never in my life as an aerial trapeze artist has my body ever been tested to its limit as far as my desperate attempt to control the clawing demon inside of me. It hurts. Everyday. But I deal with it.

I'm feelin' nothing, I'm feelin' nothing

I think of her every time. I have only been able to deal with the physical and mental pain because I know once all of this is over, I will be able to return to the troupe. To her. Most importantly. I can feel her again. She's aching and alone in my abandoned bed. I want to reach her, somehow. I break out one of Malakai's books that he loaned out to me just before I made my retreat into self-exclusion.

"Demonic projections... if I can just find the page... dreams, dreams, dreams... here! To enter a vessel's dreams..."

Usually, the demons abused this power of being able to interfere with a human's dreams. To drive them crazy. To manipulate them without even realizing. But I want to use this ability for my own lawful good; I want to see her again, even if it just in her dreams. I know she dreams of me, but she relives the moments where I left her on top of the Ferris-wheel all those nights ago. I stripped that happiness from her... it is my responsibility to bring that happiness back, and even give her a little bit of reassurance that I'm still living and breathing every day.

Dreamin' about you

"For the most painless intervention, the vessel must be in a slumber for the caster to remain uninterrupted or the rift will cause major disruption to one's state of wellbeing" I stare at the paragraph

"Well... fuck me... I hope you're dreaming of me..."

Because I always do

Every night

Since we broke up

I think I wanna break up, just to make it all up to you

~~~~~

Like a white, hot pain, the feeling of the demon scars rips through my flesh and permanently but figuratively scar mt face as if it were an actual indentation from a blazing iron rod. Marked; like the gullible cattle that the demons have rounded up and taken over with their presence and violating the souls of the sinning humans around them. I stare at my marked face in the mirror. It's much easier to force the marks off of my face now that I have been honing and controlling the demon inside of me. Plus, being away from the city of sin itself has allowed me to grasp onto the control i need to master dream interception and manipulation.

Ten past 3am, I know that she is sound asleep. I’ve been observing her sleeping pattern for the past week and a half all while practicing my powers. To her, it will seem like she had a lucid dream of me next to her; but I never talk to her, reach out to her, or call her name. No matter how many times she calls out my name, I know that we cannot be together in her dreams. No matter how many times she tries to reach out for me, I know that we cannot be together.

Just hold on, a little bit further.

See you touch, but I'm feelin' nothing

Not yet.

But I hold onto my projection in her dream as long as I can, before it starts to physically hurt.

"Come on, baby. I know you can see me!"

I start to feel my projection sizzle and dissolve away. She cries out in her dream and I feel her violently jerk awake in a cold sweat. I hastily return to my full form inside of my bleak shipping container.

So... close...

So... fucking... close...

"FUCK THIS SHIT!!"

I hurl the closest thing to me and peg it against the rusty, cold metal hearing the echoing clang of thick porcelain hit the tin and shattering across the floor. Running my hands through the tendrils of my already unkempt hair, I sit at the foot of my mattress, cradling my throbbing head in my hands before deciding that paracetamol is a more affective solution than whining like Avi when he has to go to bed before Ripley.

"Painkillers, painkillers... Fuck my head hurts like a bitch…"

I pop two in my mouth, dry-swallowing since I just shattered my only cup, and letting the exhaustion take over my body as I fall into a dreamless slumber.

I'm feelin' nothing

~~~~~

“Darius?”

I hear her.

“Darius… baby?”

Wiping the sleep away from my eyes, I turn on a full 360 axis and take in my surroundings. My… My room?

“DARIUS! It’s you!!”

“Wh- What...?”

My vision slowly becomes crystal clear as I can clearly make out the lines of a person. Not just any person, my person. My love, who I have been aching to see and touch for the past days gone by, in my dreams. No, our dreams. Her dainty stature and her signature, unique curves of her body spark the familiarity of her voice that blissfully echoes in my head. The features of her face are what captivate me the most, no matter how long it may be. Thirty minutes, waking up to her in the mornings or after the weeks and days we have been apart. I will never forget her. She is forever ingrained in my mind, and I need to remind her once again.

“I knew you would come back to me…”

She visibly sees how the past weeks have taken a toll on my body, the bags under my eyes and the slight discoloration of my skin. She silently asks permission before she paces the room and jumps into my outstretched and waiting arms.

“Baby, you don’t know how long I have been waiting to finally touch you…”

“Heh… I can tell”

She shoots me her cute but minx-like smirk. She’s the only one that can make me become like this; a blushing mess. But I’m not going to lie that she is the only one that can make be feel this way. Sure, the sex I’ve had up until was nice, but she takes it to a whole other level. She can undo me with just a flick of her wrists… or tongue. She has put a spell on me, one that I cannot fathom, but I don’t want it to end. I shoot her my own signature smirk back.

“Well my angel, what are we going to be about it?”

“Later… this is a dream, right? Where exactly are you?”

I know what she’s doing, she’s trying to bait me. She wants to find me, help me.

Not now.

“Far away from Vegas, but right now I’m here with you. And that’s all that matters”

I’m in California, you, you out in Georgia, but we’re both in the same room

I kiss her, with everything I have. And not long after all our clothes, except for our most intimates are sprawled across my bedroom floor. We’re both panting messes by the time we separate ourselves from each other to catch our breath.

“God! I’ve missed you so much, your skin on mine and the way you touch me”

“Oh yeah? Well, we’re in for a long night you and me”

I slowly place feather-like kisses down the ravine of her breasts, lightly teasing her to hear that sinful reaction out of her.

“O-Oh! Darius!”

Not yet, my love.

Travelling closer to her belly-button, I marvel at her toned stomach and the slight build of muscle that is slowly peeking its way through her Adonis and eventually eyeing my final destination. Hovering over where I want to be the most. I place kisses on each side of her pelvic bones in between my words.

“Try to resist, MC. It will make the experience so… much… more… memorable”

~~~~~

Basking in the afterglow of our many rounds of lovemaking and pent-up lust, a sheen of sweat covering our entire naked forms, still calming down from the multistory climaxes we brought each other to. The tips of the Nevada sand dunes slowly give way to the blistering desert sunrise. Our time together in our dreams is nearly up.

“Are you coming back to me anytime soon, Darius?”

“Baby, I don’t know. I still don’t trust myself to stay sane around you. I sometimes just find my markings on my face while just working out in my room and I go into a demonic rage. I’m so, so sorry MC”

But if I stay with you, we won’t make it

Stroking the nape of my neck, she places her intoxicating feather-like kisses across my collarbones leaving her precious marks all over me.

She sighs.

“That’s ok, Darius. I’m just happy you’re safe”

The familiar warmth of her body slowly starts to dissolve, replaced by a white, hot and painful rage. It’s calling to me again.

Please.

Just a few more minutes.

With her.

“Darius! You’re fading!!”

“I know, my love. I’m losing you again…”

“Please…” she cries behind her rolling tears.

She grasps onto the remainder of my solid fingers, not before my body turns into a translucent representation of me.

“I promise, I will make it up to you”

I think I wanna break up, just to make it all up to you

I say in a whisper before I disappear into nothingness… I manage to say one more thing, for her.

“I think I wanna lose you, just to find my way back to you”

I don’t want to let go

But I gotta let go

[rabbitbatthing]

If the character thing is still open, tell us more about team bad end! i was always curious about what exactly goes wrong with icarus&skye :O

👀👀 technically speaking “bad end” covers all the pmd games (though mostly the first 2, still gotta figure out how i want to interpret Super’s story), but Hell Yeah I’m more than willing to share stuff about Sky and Icarus

THAT BEING SAID, with these two it’s less a single thing going wrong and just, a long string of things that progressively get worse:

Icarus (the partner)’s motivations for starting a rescue team aren’t exactly altruistic. He didn’t plan on getting attached and figured it’d just be a quick gig he could do before flying under the radar and leaving for somewhere else, but then he ended up liking the rescue team gig and decided to stick with it. He gets invested in this little rag-tag team.

And when he gets invested, that’s when the stuff with Gengar really starts screwing the both of them over and he starts feeling guilty about taking advantage of Sky’s amnesia situation/dragging her into the rescue team thing and getting her involved.

Meanwhile, Sky does start out a bit susp™ of Icarus because who just recruits amnesiacs, but through lack of any other options she decides to follow along and help him with the rescue team thing. Like previously stated, things don’t start noticeably going south until Gengar becomes a factor.

She’s appalled by what he’s willing to do just to make a quick buck (who the hell blackmails children?!) and does her best to make her team better out of spite towards him. You know, after beating his team and leaving him with some choice words

Things are tense but mostly fine until after Zapdos is fought and Shiftry is rescued. Sky/Icarus end up going to the Great Canyon and learn that the world’s imbalance is linked to a human becoming a pokemon (as Gengar eavesdrops), they hear the Ninetales legend, and then shit hits the fan in 24 hours or less because Gengar turns an entire town against Sky. And she can’t defend herself because she doesn’t remember. Not that it would probably matter, when the world is literally falling apart and everyone’s paranoia is at an all time high, she likely wouldn’t have been able to make a case for herself anyway.

(Icarus just feels more guilty because, again, if he didn’t ask her to start a team with him in the first place, she might not have even been found out.)

The game’s plot goes as usual, the duo goes through Lapis Cave, then Mt. Blaze and Frosty Forest, and neither of them are really handling the fugitives thing well. Sky’s conflicted, she doesn’t want to think that she could be the cause of all this, but since she doesn’t remember what she was like before becoming a pokemon she just doesn’t know what to think anymore. Gardevoir not sharing/being able to share anything doesn’t help with her growing anxiety. She considers turning back multiple times, because if it’s true then she’s just running away from the consequences of her actions again.

Icarus pushes her to keep going, because he doesn’t think she’s the human in the legend and because, even if she was, she hadn’t done anything wrong now. That, and if he were to just throw her under the bus after having gotten her involved in all of this from the get go he wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

Of course, they end up learning that Sky wasn’t the human in the legend, and once it registers that all of this was just an elaborate ploy by Gengar, Sky is pissed. She’s also lowkey angry with most of Pokemon Square for what they did (though she can at least understand why), and generally after all of this she keeps her distance. Save for a few others the only one she really feels she can trust is her partner, Icarus.

Despite her anger, though, she still isn’t giving up on leading the rescue team. If anything she feels even more compelled to continue with it, because even though everyone apparently believes her, she still thinks that some of them have doubts. And as Gengar has shown, it only takes a little bit of doubt to manipulate so many people, so she’d rather not take her chances.

She gets into a habit of overworking herself, and while doing so she tries to hide her own insecurities and issues so that no one worries- or suspects and looks down on her. Even when her team helps with stopping Groudon and saving Team ACT and Blastoise/Octillery/Golem, she doesn’t really feel secure with most of the other pokemon at the square- and immediately being told that she has to somehow convince yet another legendary to listen to her, with the added bonus of the world being at risk? That’s just more pressure.

And all this leads to the final dungeon, Sky Tower. She’s stressed, she’s afraid, she’s tired(Gengar had already started messing with her sleep before getting interrupted by Gardevoir, though even then she wasn’t getting a lot of sleep that night to begin with), and she’s in far from the best state of mind to be trying to do this, but they don’t have time to wait or consider other options, because meteors don’t wait.

The dungeon itself? Hell, 34 floors of pure hell, Icarus is doing slightly better in the long run, but as a whole they really aren’t equipped to try to negotiate with- or potentially fight- the legendary at the very top. They get there and try to explain to Rayquaza what’s happening but, of course, it doesn’t listen, and they have to fight. Sky fares much worse than Icarus, but they manage to hold Rayquaza off until it has no choice but to notice the flaming ball of doom falling towards the planet.

At this point it pretty much goes the same way as it does in the game, Rayquaza destroys the meteor, and Sky and Icarus are caught in the aftermath due to being so close. Icarus somehow manages to make it back to the Hill of the Ancients, but Sky… is nowhere to be found.

[tuellertrails]

It’s hard to put into words what our first week on trail has been like, but I’ll try.

Tiring. Hot. Cold. Amazing. Beautiful. Adventure. Ouch. Hungry. Thirsty. Dirty. Smelly.

There you have it!

Starting out the PCT was an emotional experience. It was surreal hiking those first few miles, and then it just sinks in “oh right, this is just hiking. And hiking is just walking. And walking is tiring. Wow it’s hot. Wait, how am I already this dirty?” We only made it about .3 miles when we came upon a little campground with some trail angels that we talked to briefly. One of them was an older man with long white silver hair and blue eyes named Legend who apparently is a triple crowner (has hiked the PCT, AT and CDT). He told us to put our hands towards the trail and then grab some air and cup it into a ball in our hands. He said we had grabbed a little piece of magic from the PCT and it is carried in all the hikers who had gone before us and that we were all connected. He told us to hold it up to our hearts to absorb, but being the brilliant nurse that I am, I held it to the right side of my chest instead of the left, so I guess that means the magic went into my rib cage instead. I’m not an expert in PCT magic 🤷🏻‍♀️ so who knows how it will affect me. Magic ribs? Time will tell. He also told us to take another piece of PCT magic and put it in our pocket to give to a friend. I will sell mine to the highest bidder. Authentic PCT magic, hard to come by, Bitcoin will be accepted as a trade.

Hiking has been very physically exhausting for me, more than I expected to be honest. We’re going about 2-2.3 miles per hour at this point, and have done 10-16 miles per day. We wake up between 6-7 AM, pack up our stuff and head out. Generally we eat breakfast at our first break of the day after 3-4 miles, and I’ve found that I need a break about every 3 miles. If we can get to a great spot for lunch, we will generally take at least an hour and sometimes more if it’s in the heat of the day. We try to stop hiking between 5-6 pm, so we can have time to set up camp, make dinner, roll out our feet and sore muscles, and write in our journals before bed. We are very tired every night, but sometimes we don’t sleep very well if it’s windy or very cold. I always take my trusty Benadryl and sleep better with it!

The hardest part for me so far has been the wear and tear on my feet. The biggest mistake I made at the start was not putting inserts in my shoes. My feet have been in a lot of pain and I’ve had to take more breaks to roll them out to continue hiking. No matter how tired I am, I have to roll out my feet at the end of the day or they fee pretty rough the next day. I’ve also been dealing with some blisters and some chafing, so basically everything hurts! Doing miles on miles every single day is a lot of work, and we are sore every day. Other hikers that we’ve met who have done other thru hikes assure us that we will get our trail legs (eventually) but it’s going to take about 3 weeks

Ok, enough complaining!! We have met some amazing people. Landon’s cousin Justin hiked out with us the first day and it was fun to give him a taste of the trail. There was a small group of people that we started with who have been a bit faster than us and are now ahead of us on the trail, but maybe we’ll run into them again!

We met a mother and son duo named Chris and Pat. Pat is a psychologist at a University and counsels students. She was the nicest friendliest little lady and I immediately liked her. Chris, her son, works in film media and is trying to become a landscape photographer. They were both lovely but Pat can't go very fast so I'm not sure we'll see them again, but we're following each other on Instagram now.

We’ve spent quite a bit of time with a small group of hikers, hiking and also hanging out with them in Julian (where we are taking our first zero day, no hiking and only lots of resting, eating and socializing). Half of them are not American which is exciting! Florian is from Germany and is a super interesting guy. He works for Google and has lived in Australia, the UK, and most recently in San Francisco. We talked about the differences between Germany and Europe, some about politics (how crazy American politics are compared to relatively boring German ones), gun control, Mental illness and lack of resources in America, our messed up healthcare system, the largeness of Australian huntsman spiders, and a whole bunch of other things. Lauren is from Canada and loves to quiz you about geography and ask fun questions. Today she asked "which animal most represents the place that you live?" Landon and I debated for a while and decided on a big horn sheep 🐑. She and Florian met on the JMT and are hiking together as friends as they both have significant others. She is always scavenging for everyone’s extra food and someone suggested that her trail name be Trash Panda (people give each other “trail names” on thru hikes, and then that’s how people introduce themselves. We haven’t gotten ours yet but it’s only a matter of time). I don’t think she accepted that trail name though 😂


Another woman from the group is from Germany named Silke who is a bit more shy but still friendly, and man is she fit. She just blazed past us on the trail today. We also gave her a piece of pop tart and some skittles to try, and she hated both, which was very funny to watch her disgusted reaction. She hasn’t built up the junk food tolerance that we have I suppose, it takes years to build and I started very young! Carolina is from the Czech Republic, and has a great sense of humor. I can’t imagine the kind of bravery it takes to go to a foreign country where you know no one and the language spoken isn’t your first language, and taking on a monumental task like hiking the PCT. It’s pretty incredible and I have a lot of respect for all the hikers, but especially the foreign ones. We took a picture yesterday before Carolina had showered and she said “I look so dirty and crazy!” 😂 I ask just about everyone “what does your family think of your coming out to do this?” and the most common answers include “they don’t really get it...” and “They think I’m crazy.”

Otter is a 58 year old guy who was in the airforce for 30 years and has spent the last 5 years of his retirement hiking and traveling. He hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2019. Otter said that he decided to hike the AT initially because he read a story of a guy in his town who hiked it when he was 18. The guy had to ask permission from the board of education in Virginia to graduate high school early in order to hike it, and they told him no, so he quit high school and did it anyways. Otter told us that he read that and it stuck with him, and he made it a goal of his to hike the AT someday. He said it took 35 years, but he always remembered that guy and wanted to do it. Just goes to show that you never know what kind of impact you can have on the people around you! He has been very kind to us and let us come to the Airbnb that he had rented to do laundry and shower when we got into Julian, and we have used the Airbnb as a hangout zone for our whole group yesterday and today, which has been great. After showering and having clean clothes, we almost felt like normal people 😂. In Mt Laguna at mile 42, we showered in a campground bathroom and washed our laundry in the shower like the hiker trash we now are. Real food from a restaurant and a cold drink from a trail angel (people that provide food/drinks/rides to hikers) is also incredible. When you’re living so minimally, the little things are a big deal!

Lastly we have Brandon, who I met on Instagram last year and was also supposed to hike the trail but canceled due to Covid. He ended up getting a permit for this year too and started the day after us (coincidentally he is also a travel nurse). Last night, after hanging out at the Airbnb, We camped behind the Julian Market (they allow PCT hikers to camp there) and Brandon came too. At 5:30 in the morning after just settling back down into his sleeping bag after getting up to pee, he hears a voice say “oh good, you’re up. I really need someone to talk to.” He looks over and sees this strange girl that he doesn’t know (and wasn’t there when we went to bed) who is wrapped up in her sleeping bag. He says “Oh, um..are you ok?” And she says “I have no pants”. And proceeds to tell him that she ripped her hiking shorts and didn’t carry any warm sleeping clothes because they were too heavy. He tells her that she needs to have warm base layers if she is going to continue hiking (and not die) and that she can pick some up at the gear store in town. She tells him that she asked the guy she was hiking with if she could come and cuddle with him and he told her no, so she knocked on some random strangers window at 3 AM and asked for a ride from Mt Laguna to Julian, and the stranger gave her a ride (and luckily didn’t murder her). So that’s how she ended up on that back porch in Julian, possibly staring at Brandon for hours and willing him to wake up to tell him this. Apparently she talked to him for about 45 more minutes and at some point said that she was waiting for her meds to arrive. He said “Maybe you should call your family?” And she said “no way! They’ll freak out” 😬. Landon and I were returning from using the bathroom and we walked right past them, I thought that they knew each other somehow and somehow missed the pleading desperation in Brandon’s eyes to help him in this incredibly awkward 5:30 AM conversation with this random girl. Eventually she ended up going to the pie shop across the street and sitting in there to get warm and charge her phone. Long story short, I really hope that girl is ok, because hiking the PCT is hard enough as it is without having any warm pants. Also, hiking is not a replacement for a support system and therapy. Be safe and get mentally healthy before you hike!!

One last funny story. This morning we were eating at a diner when the waitress came over to take our order. She looked at me hesitantly and said “Um...I’m not sure how to handle this...you have a spider on your hat.” I yelped and threw my hat on the table. She grabbed my hat and took it outside and gently shook it off and de-spidered it for me before bringing it back to me 😥. What a good lady!! Please tell people if they are wearing spiders and help them out. I guess I am just becoming one with nature now.

Anyways, this is long enough, but I just want to say that we’ve had lots of great experiences, seen beautiful scenery, and met awesome people. Even though this is incredibly hard, it’s such a cool adventure and I am loving having a great partner to experience it with me. Hoping my feet are doing better in the next section and that none of my blisters get infected! Our friends helped me shake down my pack today and I was able to get rid of at least a pound in weight. When you carry everything on your back, hips and shoulders, every little ounce makes a difference! Much love to everyone and thanks for the support, it’s been a great first week!

- Joscelyn

P.S. - I’ll post our daily mileage for anyone who is interested

Day 1

Start: Mile 0 Mexican Border

Stop: Mile 11.4

Total: 11.4 miles

Day 2

Start: Mile 11.4

Stop: Mile 26 Boulder Creek Campground

Total: 14.6 miles

Went thru Lake Morena

Day 3

Start: Mile 26 Boulder Creek Campground

Stop: Mile 37.1

Total: 11.1 miles

Elevation gain: about 3k feet 🦶

Day 4

Start: Mile 37.1

Stop: Mile 47.7

Total Mileage: 10.6

Went thru Mt Laguna

Day 5

Start: Mile 47.7

Stop: Mile 63.7

Total: 16 Miles

Day 6

Start: Mile 63.7

Stop: Mile 77

Total: 13.3 Miles

Day 7

Zero Day In Julian

[humanistauno]

Let’s Get In To Camiguin

by: Melody Leagogo

Camiguin is the smallest Island in Mindanao and second smallest in the Philippines. Don't ever judge it by size as it is big in beauty and wonder. Camiguin is known for its volcanic nature, often dubbed "The Island born of fire". The force of eruption was so great, giving this Island paradise countless natural attraction. A beautiful disaster that soon nested the hidden gem of Mindanao. These volcanic activities have been continuously maintained and reshape its landscapes and plays an important role in molding their culture. Prepare yourself for an exciting escapade; pack your luggage as for what surprises Camiguin awaited you.

First on your list is the White Island of Camiguin. Be hypnotized by its stunning, inviting stretch of white sand bar. It was purely naked where the two waves meet to bring satisfaction to everyone that goes there. I know that one day is

How to reach your dreamed Destination? Camiguin has its own airport in Mambajao but Cebu Pacific is the only commercial airline that has regular flights to the province from Cebu City. For those coming from outside Mindanao especially from Manila, make your way to either Cagayan de Oro or Butuan City. There are regular flights from that places that will truly accompanied you to your paradise, just follow trips how to get there. Baliongan ferry terminal in Misamis Oriental is your jump point at about an hour sea travel. You'll be entertained by the view of mountainous backdrop and flirty deep-blued crystal clear flow while cruising toward the northern. After an hour seemed to be a minute, you will find yourself dropping jaw as you feel that Camiguin ambience and warm welcome of nature. In conjunction with the blazing tropical sun, your destination must as fiery as bursting flame that will uncover you boldness not enough to indulge every moment you are there; you are imprisoned by its horseshoe shaped, although the tides constantly resize and reshape its exact form.

Next in the list is the famous landmark of Camiguin Island, The Sunken Cemetery. During the awakened from sleep of Mt. Vulcan that lasted from 1871 to about 1875, after continuously spewing out lava into the sea, it gained a height of nearly 2,000 feet and submerged areas of Catarman, including the town’s cemetery.

Remnants of the structures and gravestones of the cemetery were still seen during low tide until 1948 when Mount Vulcan erupted for the fourth time, which buried the area deeper by 20 feet. In 1982, a large cross was built on the solidified lava to mark this old gravesite. It is beautiful matching with a fiery orange light to dusk and don't worry because you will not see some annoying flowers and candles there, all you can feel is serenity and tranquility to escape the city. Earth’s crust was broken into huge sections like a giant cracked egg shell and look what's Camiguin now. I am not wishing for any volcanic activity to occur but that beautiful disaster leaves unique trademark and magical surprises. Be a history enthusiast this time as you visit the old churches of Camiguin.

The Old Church Ruins in Camiguin, also known as Old Spanish Church Ruins and Guiob Church, have become an iconic landmark on the island which has stood the test of time following the volcanic eruptions of Mt Vulcan and Mt Hibok Hibok. The old churhes gives its vibe of ancient as you see the left walls bushes with moss and surrounded by old and huge trees.

​If you love curtain of water then Katibawasan falls must be on your bucket list. It is the tallest among the waterfalls in the Island as it ranging around 70meters and its rumbling fall gives calm in you. Take a dip in refreshing water as it has small natural pool where its cold water drops and its cliff engulfed by ferns and shrubs. The area was not neglected as there is maintenance of the government and surely guides you to the slight salinity of freshwater. There is also kiosk of souvenir stores if you want to buy something from Camiguin to your family and peers.

If you want to witness the annual celebration of their festival, you should goat the month of October where the Island itself celebrates its Lanzones festival. Lanzones Festival, a yearly occasion set apart in the long stretch of October, is a four-day celebration held to praise abundance harvests of the Lanzones organic product. Lanzones, otherwise called langsat, is a sort of tree in the Mahogany gathering of plants, and whose eatable natural products are a most loved for some individuals in the Philippines. Lanzones is the leading product of Camiguin that they truly proud of. You want to go but nowhere to stay? Don't worry because Camiguin Island offers a lot of accommodation and best services they can offer that truly will not ruined your vacation. There are so many places Camiguin could offer including natural forces that exploded to that place.

All in all, Camiguin packed the whole thing. From sea to summit to history. Camiguin Island is what vacation goals are made of. Green labyrinth to explore, white sand beaches to play on, waterfalls to discover, volcanoes to trek, food to savour and more. Ask yourself, what can you do more? Camiguin can bring out best in you. Discover yourself as you discover Camiguin. There's no way to escape the distractive roaring of urban? No tall buildings, paper works, fast food chains, annoying rumbling of different vehicles and machineries and crowd like seen in the city, this island will make you go back to the basic and simply appreciate what you have in life. It is hard to say goodbye, a bitter-sweet one, but Camiguin always welcome you as it say "Come again to Camiguin".

[live4thelord-blog1]

MARCH 16, 2019

The Cross Is a Fruit-Bearing Tree – A Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent

The Second Sunday of Lent always features the Transfiguration. The first reason for this is that the trek up Mt. Tabor was one of the stops Jesus made with Peter, James, and John on His final journey to Jerusalem. It is commonly held that He did this to prepare His apostles for the difficult days ahead. There’s a line from an old spiritual that says, “Sometimes I’m up, sometimes I’m down, sometimes I’m almost to the ground … but see what the end shall be.” That is what the Lord is doing here: He is showing us what the end shall be. There is a cross to get through, but there is glory on the other side.

There also seems a purpose in placing this account here in that it helps describe the pattern of the Christian life, which is the Paschal mystery. We are always dying and rising with Christ in repeated cycles as we journey to an eternal Easter (cf 2 Cor4:10). This passage shows the pattern of the cross in the climb, the rising, and in the glory of the mountaintop; then it is back down the mountain again only to climb another one (Golgotha) and through it find another glory (Easter Sunday). Yes, this is the pattern of the Christian life: the Paschal mystery. Let’s look a little closer at three aspects of today’s Gospel passage.

The Purpose of Trials – Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray.

We often pass over the fact that they had to climb the mountain, no easy task. Anyone who has been to Mt. Tabor knows just what a high mountain it is. The climb to the top is almost 2000 feet and steep as well. It would have taken the better part of a day and probably had its dangers. Looking down from the top is like looking from an airplane window out on the Jezreel Valley (a.k.a. Megiddo or Armageddon).

So, here is a symbol of the cross and of struggle. The climb was up the rough side of the mountain; it was exhausting, difficult, and tested their strength.

I have it on the best of authority that as they climbed they were singing gospel songs like these: “I’m comin’ up on the rough side of the mountain, and I’m doin’ my best to carry on!” and “My soul looks back and wonders how I got over!” and “We are climbing Jacob’s ladder; every round goes higher, higher.”

This climb is like our life. We have often had to climb, to endure, to have our strength tested. Perhaps it was the climb of earning a college degree. Maybe it was the climb of raising children or building a career. What do you have that you really value that did not come at the price of a steep climb, of effort, of struggle?

Most of us know that though the climb is difficult there is glory at the top if we but persevere. Life’s difficulties are often the prelude to success and greater strength.

Though we might wish that life had no struggles, the Lord intends a climb for us, for only the cross leads to true glory. Where would we be without some of the crosses in our life? Let’s ponder some of the purposes of problems in our life.

God uses problems to DIRECT us. Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often point us in new directions and motivate us to change. Is God trying to get your attention? Sometimes it takes a painful situation to make us change our ways. Proverbs 20:30 says, Blows and wounds cleanse away evil, and beatings purge the inner most being. An old gospel song speaks of the need for suffering to keep us focused on God: “Now the way may not be too easy, but you never said it would be. ’Cause when our way gets a little too easy, you know we tend to stray from thee.” It’s sad but true: God sometimes needs to use problems to direct our steps toward Him.

God uses problems to INSPECT us. People are like tea bags: if you want to know what’s inside them, just put ’em in hot water! Has God ever tested your faith with a problem? What do problems reveal about you? Our problems have a way of helping to see what we’re really made of. Through trials, I have discovered many strengths I never knew I had. There is a test in every testimony. Trials have a way of purifying and strengthening our faith as well as inspecting it to see whether it is genuine. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These trials are only to test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and pure (1 Peter 1:6).

God uses problems to CORRECT us. Some lessons we seem to learn only through pain and failure. When you were a child your parents told you not to touch the hot stove, but you probably really learned by getting burned. Sometimes we only realize the value of something (e.g., health, a relationship) by losing it. Scripture says, It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees (Psalm 119:71-72), Before I was afflicted, I strayed. But now I keep you word (Psalm 119:67).

God uses problems to PROTECT us. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious. A man was fired for refusing to do something unethical that his boss had asked him to do. His unemployment was a problem for him and his family, but it saved him from being sent to prison a year later when management’s actions were discovered. In Genesis, Joseph says to his brothers, You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives (Genesis 50:20).

God uses problems to PERFECT us. Problems, when responded to correctly, are character-building. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Scripture says, We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady (Romans 5:3), and You are being tested as fire tests gold and purifies it and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold; so if your faith remains strong after being tried in the fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day of his return (1 Peter 1:7).

So, the climb symbolizes the cross, but after the cross comes the glory.

The Productiveness of Trials – While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not know what he was saying. While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”

All the climbing has been worth it. Now comes the fruit of all that hard work! The Lord gives them a glimpse of glory. They get to see the glory that Jesus has always had with the Father. He is dazzlingly bright. A similar vision from the Book of Revelation gives us more detail:

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars … His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades (Rev 1:12-17).

Yes, all the climbing has paid off. Now comes the glory, the life, the reward for endurance and struggle. Are you enjoying any of the fruits of your crosses now? If we have carried our crosses in faith, they have made us stronger and more confident. Some of us have discovered gifts, abilities, and endurance we never knew we had. Our crosses have brought us life!

The other night I went over to the church and played the pipe organ. It was most enjoyable, but it was the fruit of years of hard work.

Not only have my own crosses brought me life, but the crosses of others have done the same for me. I live and work in buildings that others scrimped, saved, labored to be able to erect. I have a faith that martyrs died to hand on to me and that missionaries journeyed long distances to proclaim. See, trials do produce!

St. Paul says that this momentary affliction is producing for us a weight of glory beyond all compare (2 Cor 4:14). In Romans he says, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Rom 8:18).

An old gospel song says, “By and by, when the morning comes, and all the saints of God are gathered home, we’ll tell the story of how we’ve overcome. And we’ll understand it better, by and by.”

So, the glory comes after the climb. This is the life that comes from the cross. This is the Paschal mystery: Always carrying about in ourselves the dying of Christ so also that the life of Christ may be manifest in us (2 Cor 4:10).

The Pattern of Trials – After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.

Notice that although Peter wants to stay, Jesus makes it clear that they must go down the mountain and then walk a very dark valley to another hill: Golgotha. For now, the pattern must repeat. The cross has led to glory, but more crosses are needed before final glory. An old spiritual says, “We are climbing Jacob’s ladder … every round goes higher, higher, soldiers of the cross!”

Yes, this is our life: Always carrying about in ourselves the dying of Christ so also that the life of Christ may be manifest in us (2 Cor 4:10).

There are difficult days ahead for Jesus and the apostles, but the crosses lead to a final and lasting glory. This is our life, too: the Paschal mystery, the pattern and rhythm of our life.