#multiplied that 2 fr

[devilat-thedoor]

Smile Pretty 2

A/N: it’s been quite some time since i put anything out. and i know this probably isn’t what most people are hoping for from me, but i simply couldn’t stop thinking about this. (half credit to my sun, liana fr, because she multiplies my brainpower by 76000000. so. HUUUUUGE shoutout to @stardustvanfleet and @jakesguitarsolo for being my favorite people ever and offering a never ending stream of jake thoughts. i love you both endlessly and you don’t even understand how much i appreciate you🩵

Word Count: 4.2k

Jake x f!reader

Warnings: Smut 18+ Minors DNI(Oral[f rec], Unprotected Sex, Spit, Dirty Talk, Degradation, Power struggle???, a bit of praise, teensy bit of cumplay, Camera Use, very light impact play) if there was anything i may have missed, please do not hesitate to tell me!

Making your way down the corridor, you watched the room numbers as you went, searching for 623. Tour had started a month ago and you hadn’t seen Jake since the day he left; you were supposed to visit him a week ago, but your work schedule got messed up and you couldn’t make the trip. He was disappointed and you swore you’d make it up to him, but what he didn’t know is that you’d already arranged new plans and, with Josh’s help, you were currently strolling down the hallway of their hotel to surprise your boyfriend. You stopped in front of his door, flipping the keycard through your fingers and shaking out your nerves. Holding the card up to the reader, you paused, leaning in to press your ear against the door. Your hand shot up to cover your mouth at what you were hearing; a series of grunts and groans that were unmistakably Jake’s…but there were other sounds too. More moans, quieter than his, but they were feminine. He’s watching porn?

You pressed the keycard to the door and listened to the confirming beeps before pushing it open. Jake was shifting fast, all but tossing his phone across the room as he yanked a pillow over his legs to cover the evidence of whatever he was doing. “Goddammit, Josh. Just because you have the extra key doesn’t mean- Shit…” His eyes went wide when you stepped into his view.

“Surprise…” You couldn’t hide the smirk on your lips as he gazed at you like a kid caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Closing the door, you dropped your bag to the floor and took a few steps toward the bed, “Did I interrupt something, baby?” You stopped when your knees hit the edge of the mattress and crossed your arms over your chest to stare at him with an eyebrow raised.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times before taking a second to swallow back the odd anxiety that seemed to rise in him. “I’m just…surprised…to see you. Why didn’t you tell me that you were coming? I- uhhh. I would’ve planned for dinner or something.” He was slowly sitting up straighter but the pillow remained in his lap. “Actually, dinner sounds great, I’m sure we can find something quick…Can you- I should grab a quick shower before we go…Will you start the water for me, babe?” You would’ve gone along with Jake’s poor attempt at a subject change had he not kept glancing at his phone, laying face down at the bottom of the bed. He watched your head turn slowly, your eyes landing on the device as you chewed on your lip, and tried to bring your attention back to him. “Hey! Danny said something about a great Mexican place not too far from here… Supposedly they have, like, award winn…ing…” His voice trailed off as you mindlessly nodded your head, your arms falling to your side.

“Uh huh…” You lunged for his phone and he tried to snatch it up before you but it was too late. Your fingers curled around it and you rolled off of the bed and scurried across the room, “What were you watching, Jake?” You illuminated the screen and typed his passcode in as he clambered out of the bed, trying desperately to tuck away the obvious tent in his tight boxers. “Everybody watches porn, Jacob. Why are you being so secretive? Is it like- OH GOD… Is it kinky shit?” You chuckled as the screen opened up to whatever he was watching and you clicked the play button.

“Babe, let me just-.” He reached for the phone but you held your finger up and twisted out of his reach.

You were speechless as you tried to comprehend what you were watching. “Oh…Oh…” Met with an image that you were quite familiar with, you glanced at Jake and back to the phone. It was the little film project that you two had made before he left and you’d almost forgotten about it until now. “Jake-.”

He cut you off, reaching for the phone again, “Okay, just shut it off.” A huff of frustration escaped him when you ducked beneath his arm and moved to the opposite side of the room. “C’mon. Would you just- turn it off, babe.” He was coming after you again, but you stayed planted in place, your eyes glued to the screen as a grin stretched over your face.

“No… I haven’t even got to watch this yet. How many times have you watched it?” You met him with an accusatory expression and he dropped his gaze to the floor. “...thought so… Let’s watch together.” You shrugged as you kicked your shoes off and climbed onto the bed, resting against the headboard. When he didn’t follow suit, you paused the video and patted the space beside you that he was occupying when you’d arrived. “Come on. We made it together, we can watch it together…Baby, come sit down and watch the fucking sex tape with me.” You whined through your giggles as you tapped the bed again.

Jake finally relented, heaving out a sigh, and climbed onto the bed to settle in alongside you. “You don’t think it’s weird to sit and watch ourselves fuck?” He took the phone from your hand and scrolled the bar the whole way to the beginning before looking at you.

You cocked an eyebrow at him, “I think you’re being weird… What was the point of making it if we weren’t gonna- Wait. Do you just…not want me to watch it? Because you obviously have… More than once.” You turned to face him completely, awaiting a response.

“I like watching you, angel…” He spoke genuinely, grasping your hand in his. “No cliche porno could ever compare to what you do. So yeah… I’ve watched it a few times.”

You could feel the heat spreading across your cheeks at his admission. “Baby….” Leaning in, you pressed your lips to his, dragging a hand along his thigh. He was leaning further into you, anticipating the path that your fingers were taking, but you stopped before they could reach his boxers and pulled back from the kiss with a teasing smirk. “Press play, Jake.” You couldn’t help but laugh as he let out a frustrated huff before complying with your request. Snuggling in closer to your boyfriend, you viewed quietly, watching yourself on the screen as you strutted towards the camera, peeling your robe off. “Wow…my tits look fucking great.” Jake had a hand resting on your leg, giving a gentle squeeze in agreement to your statement. You bit down on your lip at his dialogue in the video as you smiled up at the lens and began to stroke him, “You’re never that bold when we’re just having sex…” It was a thought that tumbled from your lips and made him turn to you.

“What does that even mean? I’m not bold?” He paused the video and put his phone on the nightstand. “I’m fucking bold… Don’t act like I don’t make you cum every time we fuck, you know I do.”

You took notice of how he began to breathe a little harder as a note of irritation radiated from him. “Baby, that’s not what I’m saying… I just mean that-.” You thought for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to explain what you meant, when an idea struck you. “I don’t know, Jake. I mean, yeah… The sex is always good, don’t get me wrong, but-.”

He cut you off abruptly, “But what?” He watched you bite your lips together with a shrug and he stood from the bed, “No. What the fuck were you gonna say? The sex is always good, but what?” Jake was growing more irritated with each second of silence that passed but you were keen to the stiff bulge in his boxers and decided to press a little harder.

“It’s just kind of…boring. Or- What���s the word they use? Vanilla.” It took everything in you to keep your laughter down as his eyes practically turned red. “Jake. Baby, it’s fine… I don’t need exciting sex.” You climbed off of the bed then, turning your back to him with the fear that you wouldn’t be able to keep up your act, “The way you do things is…alright…I guess.” When you turned around to look at him again, he was fuming. You had him right where you wanted him and a flood of arousal rushed to your panties at the dark expression he wore. His nostrils were flaring, chest rising and falling rapidly with angry huffs, but he remained quiet. “Uhh. I have to pee.” You offered him an innocent smile before scurrying into the bathroom and locking the door behind you. The look on his face was one that you didn’t see very often but knew very well and it made you clench your thighs together in need. Staring at yourself in the mirror, you tried to prepare for what could happen when you eventually walked out of the bathroom. Would he be angry with you and give you the silent treatment? Or… Would he try to prove you wrong? You knew Jake was nowhere near vanilla, but teasing him was always the fastest route to the best sex with him. But…did you take it too far this time?

You took one last steadying breath and unlocked the door to step out of the bathroom. With no time to register what was happening, Jake had his hand loosely wrapped around your throat with your back pinned to the wall, an amused smirk on his face at the way you gasped in surprise. “You think you’re so goddamn smart, huh?” He leaned in close, his nose pressing into your cheek as he dropped his voice to a whisper, “If you wanted me to treat you like a whore, no-… My sweet little cumslut, right?” He chuckled condescendingly as you whimpered at his degrading names, squeezing your legs tighter. “Ask nicely, angel… You don’t have to be a fucking brat to get what you want, understand?” Releasing your throat, he watched as you nodded your head obediently. “Good girl… Take your clothes off and put your palms flat on the mattress.”

Complying immediately, you shredded every piece of fabric from your body and paused to look at him, “Jake, I-.” You shut your mouth when he shook his head silently and pointed towards the bed. Making the short walk, you were vibrating with anticipation at what was about to come. You could feel Jake getting closer as you bent down, placing your palms atop the warm duvet. His hand was on your ass in an instant, ghosting up over your spine and back down to caress your thigh before settling on your lower back. Everything was still for a moment and you almost opened your mouth to question until his free hand came down hard on your asscheek. “Fuck!” You cried out, mostly from the shock of it, but there was a slight sting left in the wake of his palm.

“So you think I’m vanilla?” He was rubbing his hand up and down your inner thigh when you began to stutter out an answer, but his touch left you at loss, unable to utter a response, and that wasn’t good enough for him. Jake reeled his hand back, delivering another slap; this time to the spot he was just pampering. “Words, angel. Use them.” He paused for a moment to admire the way you began panting and shifting your weight back and forth between your feet. “Tell me again about how boring I am.”

A shiver rippled through your body as he bent down to whisper in your ear, but you managed to keep a small bit of composure. “I- I don’t know, Jake… There’s just…a lack of excitement…” You swallowed the lump in your throat and tilted your head to look at him.

“A lack of excitement, huh?” He was grinning wide as he straightened back up and exited your line of sight. “See… now I know you’re lying-” He disappeared suddenly; his touch gone, you couldn’t see him in your peripherals. Just as you began to say his name, you felt him. His large hands gripping your ass and thighs to slip a thumb through your slick folds. “-because if there’s no excitement, your pussy wouldn’t be dripping like this.” 

“Jake, please…” You weren’t entirely sure what you were pleading for but you couldn’t stop. “Please don’t tease me… I missed you so fucking much.” You were whining as you pushed back against his hands.

Jake chuckled, clearly amused at your desperation, “Needy little thing… What do you want from me, sweet girl?” His voice was saccharine sweet, tinged with a bit of something else. Mischief, maybe?

You contemplated begging on your hands and knees until a better idea struck you. “Well, baby… Prove to me just how bold you can be.”

A low growl rumbled out from behind you, the sound echoing through the room. “Yeah, I’ll fucking show you…” His hand weaved through your hair, grabbing a healthy fistful as he pulled you up from the bed. You could feel the heat emanating from him as he held your back flush against his chest to speak, “Let’s see if you can keep up, angel.” In a flash, he was shoving you back down, making sure your chest was pressed into the mattress before he released you. He knelt down behind you, spreading you open to spit directly onto you. The feeling of his spit dripping from your cunt made you shudder but he didn’t give you much time to process as he burrowed his face between your thighs. Jake’s tongue lashed rapidly at your clit before he tightened his lips around the bud.

“Jesus, Jake! Wh- Fuck…” You clawed at the fluffy, white comforter, crying out shamelessly as he devoured you. It didn’t take long for your legs to begin trembling at the way his tongue slipped through your folds and his nose nudged your entrance. You were toeing the edge of a cliff, awaiting your fall with one final push from him, “Don’t stop… Don’t you dare fucking stop, Jacob. I- Oh God, please! I’m g-. What the hell, Jake!” You whipped around to glare at him, your chest heaving and knees weak, but he was standing up from the floor, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

He was grinning wide, showcasing his perfect teeth, when you stood straight to meet him face to face. Just as you started to scold him, he gripped your jaw, smashing his lips against your own and pushing his tongue into your mouth. When he broke the kiss, he spun you back around, pressing his covered erection against your ass, “You thought I was gonna let you cum that quick? After all the shit you talked?” He cackled loud and the sound lit a new kind of fire in your blood. Jake was sure he had you at his mercy and you used that to your advantage, forcing out a weak whimper. “Awwe… don’t whine, baby… If you want something, all you have to do is tell me. Use your words. Remember?” He was sliding his boxers off as he spoke.

You could hear the smirk in his tone and that’s when you made your move. Faster than the speed of light, you whipped around, catching Jake by his throat, and flipped him onto the bed. It was clear he was caught off guard by the way he began to stammer. You pulled the boxers from his ankles before crawling over him, “What’s the matter, Jakey baby? Did you forget how to use your words?” Giggling at his scowl, you sat on his chest, keeping his arms pinned beneath your knees. “I think it was a little rude, that stunt you pulled before… Don’t you think?” You kept your voice sweet, pouting your lip at him.

“I think you deserved it.”

“Hmm… I see.” You scooted further up his torso, making sure he couldn’t wiggle his arms out from under you. “How about you make me cum with that mouth that you love to run so much…and maybe I’ll see if you deserve a reward afterwards, hmm?”

Jake cocked an eyebrow at you in challenge, “Sure, angel… Won’t take too long anyways.”

The look he was giving you made butterflies erupt in your stomach as you began to settle over his mouth, slowly lowering yourself. “If you say s- SHIT!” The second his tongue made contact with your sensitive clit, your eyes were rolling. You gripped tightly onto his hair as you started to rock against his face, “Oh- Oh fuck…” There was no doubt that he knew exactly how to use his mouth and that was evident by the way he had you quickly unraveling atop of him. You tried your hardest to hold yourself together, but Jake had managed to slip himself lower so that his tongue was prodding at your entrance. He groaned into your cunt before he began thrashing his head back and forth, his nose flicking repeatedly over your clit. “Jake, I- I’m-...” Your words trailed off into a series of moans as your legs started to shake and close around his head. He didn’t slow down in the slightest and if his hands were free, he’d have you pinned down to his mouth, making sure he got every bit of your orgasm out of you before you could move… But he wasn’t in control and once the overstimulation hit, you scrambled off of his face and sat back on his chest as you fought to catch a breath.

He rubbed his palms up and down your thighs to try to stop their trembling. The touch was so sweet and affectionate, but the moment didn’t last long. “How about you quit pretending like you’re holding the reins and let me take over again, beautiful?”

“Baby, if you want the reins, you gotta take ‘em.” You flashed him a sickeningly sweet smile and when he began to respond, you reached behind you to wrap your hand around his stiff cock. Holding eye contact with him, you started to stroke him slowly, eliciting a deep groan from the back of his throat. “I’m sorry, Jake… Were you gonna say something?” Everytime he opened his mouth, you squeezed him a little tighter to make his breath catch. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

He was glaring up at you as you removed your hand to maneuver your body over his throbbing length. “And you said I love to run my mouth? You’re a goddamn tease.”

Your hand shot out to grasp his jaw, “I may be a tease, but I always give you what you want in the end, don’t I?” As your sentiment concluded, you sunk onto him; your mouth hung open and Jake subconsciously mimicked your expression as he held onto your waist. Once he was buried completely inside of you, your head dropped back, “Hmm… so fucking thick, baby…” After a moment of adjustment, you leaned down to peck his lips, catching his bottom one between your teeth with a moan and pulling before allowing it to snap back.

He stared at the point where your bodies connected as you raised slowly and dropped back down. “Ride it like you fucking own it, angel.” Jake commanded through husky breaths and the sound of his voice made you clench around him. Anchoring your hands on his chest, you took his words to heart and began bouncing, adding a slight twirl to your hips with every drop. “There you go- fuuuuck. Just like that…” He slid his hands from your waist to grab a handful of your ass before resting them at your hips.

The sound of your skin smacking together echoed off the walls, only overshadowed by Jake’s husky groans and your heavy breaths, as you rode him. You were focused on his face, the look of pure ecstasy he wore as his eyes continuously fluttered shut, “You like that, Jakey?” Slowing your movements, you opted for a change. Leaning back, you placed your hands on his thighs behind you for leverage and started to rock against him. When his mouth dropped open and he began bucking up into you, a smile formed on your face. “You like when I fuck you like this, Jake?” Your voice was sultry and low, “When I claim your fat cock like this, hmm?”

Just as you found a steady rhythm, his grasp on your hips tightened and he flipped you off of him to quickly climb over you. “Such a mouthy little whore, huh?” He moved so fast that you didn’t stand a chance in fighting for your dominance. He had your ankles on his shoulders as he leaned down, effectively pressing your knees into your chest, “You just got too goddamn cocky…” Jake slammed back into you, filling you up entirely as you cried out and grabbed blindly at his arms and clamped your eyes shut. He immediately grabbed your chin with one hand while he cupped your cheek with the other, “Nuh uh. Open those eyes and fucking look at me… I wanna make sure you know who makes you fucking cum like this, angel.” His thrusts were unrelenting, hitting the sweetest spot inside of you, and when you finally managed to pry your eyes open to stare into his large brown ones, he drew his hips back and dove back in with an impossibly deep stroke.

“J- fuck. Jaaake….” His name clambered out of your mouth in a mess of broken whimpers as your legs began to shake around his head. “Oh my God! FUCK, Jake!” Your nails dug deep into his forearms as he held your head steady and continued pounding into you, fucking you through your second climax.

“That’s it, sweet girl… Say it again. Let everyone know who makes your pussy cry, angel…” He gave a short, condescending chuckle as you breathlessly muttered his name for a third time. “That’s my good girl…” Suddenly he pulled out, letting your legs down, and turned you over onto your stomach. You were too dazed, stuck in a fucked-out fog, to question. But he slipped back into you to chase his own release, “You want me to fill this sweet cunt, pretty girl?”

You could feel your eyes going crossed as you clawed at the thick comforter beneath you, “Yes- fuck…” The pressure was building again, faster than the last two times and you began to beg, “Please, Jake… I want it, baby… Need you so fucking- bad.” Your moans were growing louder and drawing him closer to the brink.

He pressed a palm flat to your back to pin you against the mattress and fucked into you with hard, punctuated thrusts. “You want it, angel? I’ll fucking give it to you… Sounds so pretty when you beg for my cum.” His voice was strangled, groans vibrating from somewhere within his chest and you offered one last plea that sent him over the edge. Jake buried himself deep, a single ‘oh fuck’ leaving his lips before you felt him empty his sticky release inside of you, the feeling bringing you to a third and final orgasm. He was hunched over your back for a moment as he caught his breath, but when he finally pulled out, he flipped you back over and pushed your legs apart. Watching him through droopy, exhausted eyes, you heard him click his tongue a few times before he was dragging a finger over your folds, your body shivering at the contact. “Fucking begged for it and the little cumslut can’t even hold it all in… Feels a little disrespectful to waste, hmm?” He pondered to himself as he gathered his dripping seed with two fingers and pushed it back into your pussy. The overstimulation had you trying to squeeze your legs shut, but it didn’t stop him from finger fucking his cum back into you, “Aht… Almost done, angel…” When he removed his digits, he held them up to your mouth and you welcomed them happily, lapping the mix of release from them.

He finally collapsed beside you, allowing you to roll over and cuddle against him with a lazy smile, “Okay, I take it back, baby… You’re pretty fucking bold. Jesus Christ, that was…” You trailed off, giving him a soft kiss.

His hand rubbed gently up and down your back as a cocky grin began to stretch across his face. He pointed behind you, “Thank you, beautiful… but can you say that one more time to the camera?” You lifted your head to see his phone set up against the lamp on the nightstand. “Or that one…” He pointed to the dresser on the opposite side of the room where he had your phone set up to capture a different angle.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” You sat up to glare at him, trying to hide your own grin.

He simply shrugged, “Now you can watch it as much as I will.” Jake wiggled his eyebrows before pulling back down for another kiss.

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lil taglist for friends i think may enjoy this😌

@ignite-my-fire @gvfpal @mybussyinchrist @ageofbajabule @klarxtr

[saint-batrick]

a recent adventure with a dental abscess directly below my brain took a HUGE chunk of what i had put back from this. i am in desperate need of help at this point. literally $2 from everyone who follows me would fund this entirely and save my life.

[monochrome-dreamer]

I love looking at my art from the start of the year and then looking at my latest piece. Or my first iPad/procreate drawing and then my latest piece. It's like, wow. I can't believe I've improved in so many ways in such a somewhat short period of time !

Back in February or March I wouldn't have dreamt of even TRYING to do lineless art, but now here I am almost 7 or 8 months later doing lineless art every other day because it's fun. This feels like one of those twitter posts but honestly dude it's so fun and brings me so much joy seeing how much I've changed in way of doing my art. I've gotten so much BETTER and my art has had things both added and taken from it to give it a charm that I think suits it. Like adding textures over the colour layers, or adding lines of a darker multiply colour to my shading because it looks nice

I love doing art. It's one of my favourite pastimes. It's such a wonderful experience even if I struggle.

Just to show my improvement; here's my first Ipad drawing from December 2021;

One of My first LINELESS works;

One of my LATEST lineless works (that I'm quite proud of)(thank you Kazemaru for getting possessed fr)

And one of my LATEST works in general

When I look at them, I can see the difference so clearly. My lines feel much smoother, and less sketchy, unlike how they were back when I was drawing in early - late 2021. My shading has gotten a bit better, and I no longer just Airbrush.

In general, in so so SO many little ways, I've improved to such a big extent. I've dove into things I didn't think I would. I tried lineless art, I tried Pixel Art, I drew SCENES USING SAID PIXEL ART BECAUSE I GOT FIXATED AND BECAUSE IT WAS FUN

Art is FUN. It's something to enjoy. It's something to look at and think "wow ! This is great, but boy have I improved!"

When I see my works from when I was younger I cringe. When I see my old iPod drawings, I cringe. But that's ok ! It's ok to be "cringe", it's ok to think your stuff is "cringe". It's ok to do something that people may deem as "Cringe", so long as it's FUN

Art can be cringe, but GOD can it be free.

Anyways it's 2:35am and I'm super tired, so I'm gonna close off here

So this is Maki, Signing off 🌻

[neon-vocalist]

❧ info . . .

⚘ . . . body / collective info

♪ collective name: amaia

⇝ u can call us the graveyard or gravesys

⇝ sena also works if you really want

⇝ any pronouns (neoprns preferred!)

♪ multiply disabled

⇝ ADHD, ASD, C-PTSD, probably a personality disorder

⇝ undiagnosed chronic illness

♪ collective interests

⇝ music (genre varies by fronter)

⇝ writing (same)

⇝ language learning (ES, FR, JP)

system info . . . ⚘

♪ traumagenic DID!

⇝ heavily proendo & prowillo

⇝ HEAVILY anti transDID / transplural & MUD

⇝ xeno origins are fine we don’t care enough

⇝ medically recognised / in treatment (working towards functional multiplicity if that somehow matters)

♪ 40ish headmates

⇝ 2 hosts (🪐evie and 👻maririn)

⇝ frequent fronters: 💙rissa, 🏆selen, 💚asa, 💌rachie

⇝ introject heavy i guess

⇝ 50% vtuber

⇝ lots of protectors / angry types

♪ terms preferred

⇝ headmate, alter, homie (member & sysmate ok)

⇝ people not parts. if you call us parts we’ll kill you

⇝ system, graveyard, plural (no ‘collective’, no ‘pluran’)

⇝ y’all, you, you guys (no you&)

⇝ things like ‘evie & co’ or ‘maria, etc’ are ok only if we know you and its jokey (no name&)

untagged posts are by 🪐evie. all other posts will be tagged with name & emoji, like #👻maririn or #👑Rin. feel free to interact with any of us and know that any of us are liable to interact with you unless you ask otherwise (and honestly, if you ask otherwise, we might block you).

we trigger-tag with ‘tw thing’ and ‘thing tw’ when we remember. we get lots of anon hate and do not tag it; if it upsets you this is not the blog for you. we also vent/vaguepost a fair amount and tag with triggers when applicable, and we TRY to use a #vent tag, but we forget often.

have a great day ꨄ

[hinamie]

Hiii how are you? 20, 23 and 30 for the ask game? Hope you have a lovely day/evening!

Hello im doing well !!! sorry for getting to this late i was at the groshy store :>

20. Something everyone else finds hard to draw but you enjoy

I've been told im good with my hands

23. Do you use different layer modes

where would any of us be without layer modes honestly gfhjsdgf my lines are on multiply 98.9% of the time and my grainy texture overlay is on. well . overlay. and those 2 layer modes r at the top of S tier imo but i also love u add and add (glow) i love u soft light i love you screen <3 <3 <3 fr layer modes add so much flavour sometimes u just gotta go down the list and see what looks good

30. (another) piece of yours you think is underrated

already answered but i'll pick another one n promote the redesign i did of my boy shiro bc no amount of attention will ever satisfy me when it comes to my ocs

weirdly specific artist ask game !

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Friday, January 12, 2024

december 31_january 12

THE HOLY MARTYR ANYSIA OF THESSALONICA (298)

The Holy Virgin Martyr Anysia lived in the city of Thessalonica during the reign of the the co-Emperor Maximian (286-305). Upon the death of her parents, who had raised her in Christian piety, Saint Anysia sold everything she owned, distributing her riches to the poor, and she began to lead a strict life of fasting, vigil, and prayer.

During his persecution against Christians, Maximian issued an edict stating that anyone had the right to kill Christians with no fear of punishment. Soon there were many bodies to be found in cities, towns, and by the roadside. Once, when Saint Anysia was on her way to church, a pagan soldier stopped her and demanded that she come along to the festival of the sun to offer sacrifice. Saint Anysia gently pulled herself away from him. When the soldier boldly grabbed her and attempted to tear the veil from her head, she shoved him, spit in his face and said, “My Lord Jesus Christ forbids you!”

In anger, the soldier ran her through with his sword. Those gathering over her body wept and loudly complained against the cruel emperor for issuing an edict that resulted in the death of many innocent people. Christians buried the martyr near the city gates, and a chapel was built over her grave.

THE NUN THEODORA OF CAESAREA (8th c.)

The Nun Theodora of Caesarea, living during the VIII Century, was the daughter of the patrician Theophilos and his wife Theodora. Her parents for a long time had been childless, and grieved over this. They prayed much and made a vow, that if a child were born to them, it would be dedicated to God. When the daughter born to them was of age, her mother took her to the monastery of Saint Anna, where the maiden entered under the guidance of an hegumeness. And there she learned the Word of God.       The emperor Leo the Isaurian (716-741), an iconoclast heretic, wanted to give the maiden Theodora into marriage to one of his aides. Against her will they took her from the monastery and brought her to Constantinople, where everything was already prepared for the wedding celebration. But at the time of the wedding feast there occurred an attack by the Skyths against the capital, and the spouse of Saint Theodora, dispatched to help beat back the attack of the enemy, perished in the very first skirmish. Taking advantage of the general confusion, Saint Theodora made herself inconspicuous, got on a ship and returned to her convent. When an imperial emissary showed up there for her, he saw that she was already tonsured a monastic, dressed in sackcloth. They thus could no longer force the saint to leave the women's monastery, and she spent the remaining years of her life in deeds of vigil, fasting and prayer. Upon her body she wore heavy iron chains, not removing them until death.

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

1 PETER 1:1-2, 10-12; 2:6-10

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. 10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-things which angels desire to look into.

6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." 7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," 8 and "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

JOHN 10:9-16

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

[i-reflex]

🔧 📱 Quels outils et applications pour apprendre une langue ? 2024

Dans un précédent article, j'évoquais l'importance de multiplier et varier au maximum les sources et outils d'apprentissage. Je vous propose d'en (re)découvrir quelques une :

APPLICATIONS & SITES WEB

▪️ Wallangues

Avantage principal : Entièrement gratuit ! Ce site web dispose également d'une application pour smartphone, sur lesquels vous pourrez apprendre : l'anglais, le néerlandais, le français ou l'allemand.

Des cours collectifs (gratuits) ! 1x/semaine, retrouvez un professeur et un groupe d'étudiants du même niveau que vous, pour discuter du thème de la semaine (il s'agit de tables de conversation accessibles ici : https://www.eventbrite.be/fr_BE/o/wallangues-11179822756). Il existe également des "café langues", proposant des petits jeux/atelier en immersion, disponible dès le niveau A1. (Accessibles ici : https://www.wallangues.be/evenements/categorie/event-cafe-langues/#prochains-evenements)

Si vous ne connaissez pas votre niveau actuel, Wallangues vous propose de passer un test de niveau entièrement gratuit, assez complet (et donc assez long), disponible notamment lors de votre inscription sur leur site. Retrouvez mon article sur les différents niveaux reconnus en langues ici :

Points moins positifs : Méthode plutôt scolaire : l'aspect ludique n'est pas privilégié (mais reste présent).

Petit "+" : Il est également possible d'améliorer son orthographe en français via cette même plateforme : https://www.wallangues.be/wallangues/lorthographe/

Enfin et pour finir avec Wallangues, ce site web propose également un centre de discussion vous permettant de discuter et de s'entre-corriger avec un correspondant. (ici : https://www.wallangues.be/wallangues/speaky/)

▪️ Hellotalk

Trouve un correspondant !

Il s'agit d'un site web (application smartphone également disponible), qui propose de mettre en contact toute personne souhaitant discuter avec une autre dans sa langue d'apprentissage. Vous pouvez également vous corriger mutuellement. Il est possible de s'écrire mais aussi de s'envoyer des enregistrements vocaux.

site web : https://www.hellotalk.com/

▪️ Tandem

Il s'agit à peu de choses près de la même application que Hellotalk.

À vous de choisir votre préférée 👍👎

site web : https://www.tandem.net/fr

▪️ Busuu

Il s'agit, selon moi, de l'une des 3️⃣ meilleurs sites web / applications d'apprentissage de langue en 2024.

Son gros "+" : Outre son aspect ludique, avec la version payante (en ce moment : 6 mois => 59,94 €), vous aurez accès à la certification. C'est à dire : vous pourrez valider un niveau d'apprentissage (A1, A2, ...) dès que vous aurez complété et réussi 100% des cours d'un niveau. Vous pourrez ainsi télécharger un certificat à votre nom. (Plutôt sympa non ? 😉).

Davantage axé vocabulaire mais avec une touche de l'essentiel en théorie malgré tout.

site web : https://www.busuu.com/fr

▪️ Babbel

Application smartphone + site web.

Mon petit préféré, il mélange aspect ludique et amusant, avec des parties plus axées sur la grammaire et la conjugaison mais sans en faire trop et en proposant des exercices interactifs, uniquement sur les choses réellement importantes.

Le seul dans ce type d'application, qui propose un vrai apprentissage ludique de la grammaire.

Bon à savoir, pour l'anglais (uniquement), il propose une version appelée "Babbel live", où vous pourrez trouver des cours à distance personnalisés. Si vous avez un (beaucoup) plus gros budget, je vous recommande : EF Englishlive. (cours à distance par visioconférence, individuels et collectifs).

site web : https://fr.babbel.com/

▪️ Beelinguapp

Cette application novatrice propose d'écouter et lire simultanément de courts texte dans la langue que vous souhaitez apprendre. Les audio durent environ 2 à 3 minutes, et portent sur des sujets très variés : l'actualité internationale, la culture, l'histoire, les nouvelles technologies, ...

Site web : https://beelinguapp.com/fr/

▪️Italki

Vous souhaitez trouver un vrai professeur de langue qui propose des cours en visioconférence au tarif qui vous convient ? Alors je vous le recommande vivement !

Depuis peu, des cours collectifs sont également proposés 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 !

Site web : https://www.italki.com/fr

▪️Et beaucoup d'autres

Memrise

Speakly

MosaLingua

Reverso

Quizzlet

❓Et vous ❓ Quels sont vos applis préférées ❓

[thelasttime]

The post you reblogged. Fr there would be a nghtmarish level of discourse if Taylor was meeting fans. It would be the discourse of the olden days multiplied tenfold. It would age us all I think. Not having that slim chance to meet Taylor is honestly a fair trade off for the discourse we're avoiding lol.

i think people would genuinely fistfight each other like i'm not joking!! the energy of these concerts is so good right now and people are sharing friendship bracelets and having a great time but my god . i aged 120395802 years when we had rep room discourse and The Rule discourse.

my fear would be like 1) people getting pressed if influencers got to meet her, 2) people getting harassed after they get their passes, 3) The Rule discourse if older fans who already met her got to meet her again, 4) the way i think meeting taylor / seeing taylor has become something of a tiktok sensation (see: waiting outside of electric lady)

[f0lie4vr]

"i'd promise you anything for another shot at life"

FOLIE À DUEX (2008)

All of these details are to give you a feel for Fall Out Boy’s work up to the point of Folie à Deux. With each album, they were innovating, they were building off of the music titans they looked up to, but, most importantly, their fame was multiplying exponentially. The singles on Infinity on High were immensely popular — “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs” charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 11, and “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race” peaked at number 2.

With their fame skyrocketing, the fan base and the musical communities who didn’t like Fall Out Boy (read: the pop charts that thought they were too hard for having guitars and basslines, and the metal communities who thought they were too soft for writing about emotions) had expectations, and Folie a Deux did not meet them — at the time, it flopped, because it was so different than anything Fall Out Boy had done previously, but now, many of the songs are setlist staples, because the band and the fans have recognized the beauty of its affect.

What solidifies this record as different is the depth and range of emotion in both the lyricism and the sonic structure. Many critiques of this album call Wentz’s lyricism on this record “a stream-of-consciousness quality that sacrifices his heart-on-sleeve theatrics for an insular solipsism” and Stump’s musical constructions as over-the-top, but even detractors that don’t like this record say that the “exhilarating moments make all the bullshit worth it.”

The record drips with life sonically — it kicks off with intense, thumping snare drums, mimicking a heartbeat in the opening track, “Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes.”

The drums and the bass reinvoke this motif of a beating heart throughout the record. The intro of “(Coffee’s For Closers),”

The droning bass of “w.a.m.s.,”

The more intense thump of the bass in “Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet,”

The lulling rhythm guitar of “America’s Suitehearts,”

And the climbing riff of “I Don’t Care.”

The record has an increased amount of theatrical flare, paralleling the way emotions inexplicably fluctuate and consume, from Stumps soaring backing vocals in “She’s My Winona” and the stunning range in “Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet.”

Like the records before it, it shifts from introspective to angry to bitter to wistful... but there’s something new that hadn’t reared its head before now: hope.

[bylagunabay]

Prophecy for the End time

YOU ARE LIVING THE BLOODY YEARS OF THE BATTLE …

(2-min. read)

In Message 495 in the Blue Book given by our Lady to Fr. Stefano Gobbi on 13th of 1993, she described the state of the world and of the Church today, namely: satan has set up his kingdom on Earth; the devil has led many bishops and priests, religious and faithful astray, causing much loss of faith and apostasy; a new terrible world war which will bring destruction to peoples and nations; diabolical powers have spread everywhere the error of theoretical and practical atheism; a new terrible world war is likely to erupt anytime which will bring destruction to entire nations; and and the Vatican is under the control of masonic forces.

THE BLOODY YEARS OF THE BATTLE

a “By a day-long cenacle at this venerated shrine, you, the priests and faithful of my Movement in the region of Lombardy, are today observing the anniversary of my first apparition which took place at Fatima, in the poor Cova da Iria.

b You are still in the period described by me in my apparition. Above all, you are in the heart of my message. The struggle between the Woman Clothed with the Sun and the Red Dragon has, during these years, reached its highest peak. Satan has set up his kingdom in the world. He is now ruling over you as a sure victor.

c The powers which are directing and arranging human events, according to their perverse plans, are the dark and diabolic powers of evil. They have succeeded in bringing all humanity to live without God. They have spread everywhere the error of theoretical and practical atheism. They have built the new idols before which humanity is bowing down in adoration: pleasure, money, pride, impurity, mastery over others, and impiety.

d Thus, in these years of yours, violence is spreading more and more. Egoism has made the hearts of men hard and insensitive. Hatred has blazed up like a scorching fire. Wars have multiplied in every part of the world, and you are now living in the danger of a new terrible world war which will bring destruction to peoples and nations, a war from which no one will emerge victorious.

e Satan has succeeded in entering into the Church, the new Israel of God. He has entered there with the smoke of error and sin, of the loss of faith and apostasy, of compromise with the world and the search for pleasure. During these years, he has succeeded in leading astray bishops and priests, religious and faithful.

f The forces of Masonry have entered into the Church, in a subtle and hidden way, and have set up their stronghold in the very place where the Vicar of my Son Jesus lives and works.

g You are living the bloody years of the battle, because the great trial has now arrived for all.

h There is now taking place that which is contained in the third part of my message, which has not yet been revealed to you, but which has now become evident from the events themselves through which you are now living.

i To prepare you for them, I have caused my Marian Movement of Priests to spring up in every part of the world. And thus I have chosen this littlest and poorest child of mine and have brought him everywhere, as an instrument of my motherly plan of salvation and mercy.

j By means of him, I have called you from all sides to consecrate yourselves to my Immaculate Heart; to enter, each and all, into the safe refuge which your heavenly Mother has prepared for you; to multiply the cenacles of prayer as lightning rods which protect you from the fire of the chastisement. How many of you have responded to my call with filial love and with great generosity!

k My plan is now on the point of being realized, and the task which I have entrusted to this little son of mine is about to be completed. And so today I am looking upon you with the special satisfaction of a Mother who is being consoled and exalted by you.

l I urge you to live without fear, but rather with great confidence and trust, these bloody years of the battle. From the chalice of sufferings never experienced until now, there will come forth the divine sun of a new era, of a humanity heretofore unknown, of grace and holiness, of love and justice, of joy and peace."

[riszellira]

Reflection: The Eucharistic Lifestyle

One characteristic of bread is that it is never eaten without breaking it first. In today’s Gospel of the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus took the bread and distributed it to the people. The fact that there were fragments signifies that the bread that was miraculously multiplied was broken and shared to everyone. In the many resurrection appearances, Jesus was known and recognized through the breaking of bread.

The first Christians were also known as a community that breaks bread. The central mystery of the Christian Catholic faith is the bread, broken and shared in the Eucharistic meal.

Chapter 2 of the Acts of the Apostles gives us a glimpse of what drives the first Christian community to live out the Jesus event. The fellowship of the community is embodied in their conscious impetus for sharing life and livelihood sacramentalized by study, prayer, and the breaking of bread: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).

This is what we witness to in the Eucharist. True Eucharistic spirituality is manifested in our willingness to be broken for the sake of the beloved. To love like Jesus loves means to be able to say, “This is my body, given up for you.” God gave us a body, not only as an instrument to bring us from one point to another. God gave us a body not for the purpose of having something to look at and admire in the mirror. God gave us a body so that we could embody His charity, His compassion, His love. That will never happen unless we, too, are willing to be broken and shared for others.

The Eucharist does not happen in the sanctuary. The Eucharist is a spirituality. The Eucharist is a lifestyle.

~Fr. Joel O. Jason

How are you living out the Eucharist that you celebrate? Is your going to Mass a celebration of a ritual or a celebration of life?

Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous, to love as You love, to give without counting the cost. Amen.

Prayer

… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.

… for the strength and healing of the sick.

… for the healing and peace of all families.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

GOD BLESS!

[shop-korea]

HELLO - FOLLOWERS

MY - PRICES - ARE - 2 - HIGH

REMOVING - 15%

EXPENSE - THEN

$0.30

13.50%

NEED - INSTEAD

3.5%

10%

THAT's - IT - AS - MY - PRICES

BECOME - HIGHER

IT's - NOW - RIDICULOUS EVEN

I - CAN'T - BUY - FR - MY - OWN

SHOPIFY - STORE

HOW - CAN I COMPETE

WITH - ALI EXPRESS

JORDAN WELCH

MULTIPLY - BY - 2.5 - & - 3

THAT's - 2 - HIGH

ESPECIALLY - WHEN ITEM

BECOMES - EXPENSIVE

SO - CHANGING - ALL YES

BARE - WITH - ME

PEOPLE - NOW - REVISING

STANDARD - PRICE - RULE

SHOPIFY

SHOP CAILEY

CHANGING - PRICES

cailey . us

[muznew]

Beatport The Shortlist: Electro November 2023

- Artists: Beatport DATE CREATED: 2023-11-28 GENRES: Electro (Classic / Detroit / Modern) Tracklist : 1. Imogen, DJ Stingray 313 - A New Earth(Original Mix) 2. Nite Fleit - Did I Stutter(Original Mix) 3. Greta Levska - Ten Nine Eight(Original Mix) 4. Joe Love, Paranoid London - Love One Self with Joe Love(Album) 5. Matias Aguayo - The Turbo Track(Original Mix) 6. Client_03 - Panic Multiplier(Original Mix) 7. Silent Servant - M-87(Original Mix) 8. Waajeed, Black Nix - Memoirs of Hi-Tech Jazz feat. Black Nix(Jensen Interceptor x Assembler Code Remix) 9. Janeret - Passion(Original Mix) 10. Brian Kage - The Keyz(Original Mix) 11. KaftaCtrl - First Order Logic(Original Mix) 12. Polychain - Beauty of Disproportion(Original Mix) 13. DMX Krew, Blak Tony - Night Creatures (feat. Blak Tony)(Original Mix) 14. FR Fels - Planet Fear(Original Mix) 15. Volruptus - Brain Computer Interface(Original Mix) 16. Perlen on Acid - Other People(Original Mix) 17. Ramu - Ready 2( Read the full article

[djmusicbest]

Beatport The Shortlist: Electro November 2023

- Artists: Beatport DATE CREATED: 2023-11-28 GENRES: Electro (Classic / Detroit / Modern) Tracklist : 1. Imogen, DJ Stingray 313 - A New Earth(Original Mix) 2. Nite Fleit - Did I Stutter(Original Mix) 3. Greta Levska - Ten Nine Eight(Original Mix) 4. Joe Love, Paranoid London - Love One Self with Joe Love(Album) 5. Matias Aguayo - The Turbo Track(Original Mix) 6. Client_03 - Panic Multiplier(Original Mix) 7. Silent Servant - M-87(Original Mix) 8. Waajeed, Black Nix - Memoirs of Hi-Tech Jazz feat. Black Nix(Jensen Interceptor x Assembler Code Remix) 9. Janeret - Passion(Original Mix) 10. Brian Kage - The Keyz(Original Mix) 11. KaftaCtrl - First Order Logic(Original Mix) 12. Polychain - Beauty of Disproportion(Original Mix) 13. DMX Krew, Blak Tony - Night Creatures (feat. Blak Tony)(Original Mix) 14. FR Fels - Planet Fear(Original Mix) 15. Volruptus - Brain Computer Interface(Original Mix) 16. Perlen on Acid - Other People(Original Mix) 17. Ramu - Ready 2( Read the full article

[partenaires-jaiunticket]

CHAILLOT EXPERIENCE #2

Du 15 au 19 Novembre

A Chaillot, théâtre national de la danse

La scène artistique algérienne et sa diaspora sont parmi les plus innovantes autour du bassin méditerranéen. On en retrouve les répercussions sur la scène internationale. La littérature, le cinéma, les arts plastiques, la musique, la danse... sont autant de disciplines où les voix algériennes se font entendre, les récits se multiplient, les mémoires s'enchevêtrent, les imaginaires s'affirment.

Nacera Belaza et les équipes de Chaillot ont donc choisi des artistes et des projets emblématiques de la vitalité de la scène contemporaine algérienne. Nacera Belaza a souhaité inviter Kamel Daoud à entrer en conversation avec eux lors de différents temps de discussions et d’échanges.

Côté cinéma, certains films ont également été proposés par la réalisatrice Sofia Djama.

N'attendez plus, prenez votre ticket :

https://theatre-chaillot.fr/fr/programmation/2023-2024/chaillot-experience-2-1

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Wednesday, August 2, 2023

orthodox peace fellowship

august 2_july 20

THE HOLY  PROPHET ELIAS/ELIJAH ( 9th. c B.C)

Saint Elijah, one who saw God, a miracle worker and a zealot for faith in God, was born of the tribe of Aaron from the town Tishba for which he was called the Tishbite. When St. Elijah was born, his father Savah saw an angel of God hovering around the child, wrapping the child in fire and giving him a flame to eat. That foreshadowed Elijah's fiery character and his God-given fiery power. He spent his entire youth in godly thoughts and prayers, withdrawing frequently into the wilderness to contemplate and to pray in solitude. At that time, the Jewish kingdom was divided into two unequal parts: the kingdom of Judah, consisting of only two tribes, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with their capital in Jerusalem, and the kingdom of Israel, consisting of the remaining ten tribes with their money in Samaria. The first kingdom was governed by the descendants of Solomon, and the second kingdom was ruled by the descendants of Jeroboam, the servants of Solomon. The most significant confrontation the prophet Elijah had was with the Israelite King Ahab and his evil wife, Jezebel. For they, Ahab and Jezebel worshipped idols and turned the people away from serving the One and Living God. Before this, Syrian Jezebel persuaded her husband to erect a temple to the Syrian god Baal and ordered many priests to serve this false god. Through great miracles, Elijah displayed the power and authority of God: he closed up the heavens so that there was not any rain for three years and six months; he lowered a fire from heaven and burned the sacrifice to his God, which the pagan priests of Baal were unable to do; he brought down rain from heaven by his prayer; miraculously multiplied flour and oil in the home of the widow in Zerepath, and resurrected her son; he prophesied to Ahab that the dogs will lick up his blood and to Jezebel that the dogs will consume her flesh, all of which happened as well as many other miracles did he perform and prophesy. On Mount Horeb, he spoke with God and heard the voice of God in the calm of a gentle breeze. Before his death, he took Elisha and designated him as his successor in the prophetic calling; by his mantle, he divided the waters of the Jordan River; finally, he was taken up into the heavens in a fiery chariot by flaming horses. He appeared on Mount Tabor to our Lord Jesus Christ together with Moses. Before the world's end, St. Elijah will appear again to end the anti-Christ's power (Revelation, Chapter 11).

ST. ALEXIS MEDVEDKOV, ARCHPRIEST OF UGINE (1934), ELIAS FONDAMINSKII (1942), PRIEST DEMETRIUS KLEPININE (1944), YURI SKOBTSOV (1944), AND NUN MARIA (SKOBTSOVA) (1945), OF PARIS

St Alexis Medvedkov, archpriest of Ugine (1934)

St Alexis of Ugine was born in Russia in 1867. Afterward, he went to seminary and became a reader and choir director at a St Petersburg parish. He felt unworthy of the priesthood but finally accepted ordination, encouraged by St John of Kronstadt. He was sent to serve a village 60 miles from the capital. As was the case for many priests, his meager salary was not enough. Side by side with his neighbors, he worked the land. Yet he also lived a life of mind and spirit, saving money to buy the writings of the Church Fathers. He was also a parent -- he and his wife had two daughters. His pastoral zeal was recognized -- in 1916, at age 49, he was made an archpriest. Then the following year, in the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution, he was arrested, tortured, and sentenced to death. Remarkably, his eldest daughter freed her father by offering herself as a hostage in his place. The effects of torture remained with him for the rest of his life. Because of nerve damage, his right eye was always wider than his left.

In 1919 the entire family managed to escape to Estonia, where Fr Alexis worked in a mine and then as a night watchman. In 1923 he became an assistant priest at a local parish, also helping in the parish school. In 1929, following prolonged illness, his wife died.

After this heavy blow, he was invited by Metropolitan Evlogy in Paris to come to France. He was sent to the town Ugine, near Grenoble, to serve as rector of St Nicholas Russian Orthodox church. A local factory employed 600 Russian immigrants.

He often celebrated the Liturgy on weekdays, Sundays, and feast days. He was known for how carefully he intoned each word when he stood in the sanctuary. After services, he would stay on to do memorial services and meet whatever other needs were brought to him by his parishioners, never charging money.

His congregation proved difficult. The parish council was dominated by secular-minded lay people of a military background, men used to giving orders, whose primary interest was politics. Some harassed Fr Alexis during services. Some were abusive. When insulted, he replied with silence. He patiently endured the criticism of those who regarded the services as too long or criticized him for not dressing better.

His health declined -- doctors diagnosed cancer of the intestines. In July 1934, he was taken to hospital. He died on the 22nd of August. On the advice of a physician who warned that Fr Alexis' cancer-ridden body would rapidly decompose, he was buried in a double coffin.

His parishioners, even those who had been hostile, came to remember him as an exceptionally modest man, shy, full of gratitude, prayerful, outgoing, compassionate, slow to criticize, eager to forgive, generous with what little he had, who never turned his back on anyone in need.

A friend who visited him during those final weeks of his life recalled him saying: "In my parish, the true parishioners are the children, the children of my parishioners ... and if those children live and grow up, they will form the inner Church. And we, too, belong to that Church as long as we live according to our conscience and fulfill the commandments ... Do you understand what I mean? In the visible Church, there is an invisible Church, a secret Church. In it are found the humble who live by grace and walk in the will of God. They can be found in every parish and every jurisdiction. The emigration lives through them and by the grace of God."

It was a life of ordinary sanctity -- small deeds of holiness performed daily that were either taken for granted or ridiculed. He might have been entirely forgotten had it not been for a decision by the Ugine town council in 1953 to build flats on the site of the cemetery. The remains of those buried in the old cemetery were moved. On the 22nd of August, 1956, precisely 22 years after Fr Alexis's death, workmen came to his grave and found that his double coffin had entirely disintegrated. Still, his body, priestly vestments, and the Gospel book buried with him had not decayed.

I have left out many details of his life. Still, you see the main lines: great suffering, endurance, patient service to impatient people, belief in the face of disbelief, an uprooted life, the early death of his wife, his own brutal death, a love of prayer, a constant witness to God's love -- and then a sign after death that served to resurrect his memory and inspired the decision that this humble priest ought to be remembered by the Church. The memory of the Church is the calendar of the saints.

St Eli Fondemensky of Paris ( 1942)

Born in February 17, 1880, in Moscow, Russia — November 19, 1942, in Auschwitz, Nazi-occupied Poland), 

He was a Russian author (writing under the pseudonym I. Bunakov) and political activist in the 1910s, one of the leaders of the Esers party, in 1917, a senior member of Alexander Kerensky's Provisional government

In 1918, Fondaminsky took part in the Iași Conference. In Paris, where he has been living since 1919, Fondaminsky veered off from the left and became an influential newspaper editor (Sovremennye Zapisky, among others), author of philosophical essays, and in the later years — much-admired philanthropist, supporting Christian magazines and charity funds. In his biography of Mother Maria Skobtsova, Pearl of Great Price, Father Serge Hackel wrote that Fondaminsky gave occasional lectures at the Sunday afternoon gatherings at the house on the Rue de Lourmel.

Facing the Nazi occupation, Fondaminsky refused to leave Paris, saying he would accept his destiny, whatever it would be. Arrested in July 1941 as a Jew and sent to the concentration camp, he adopted Christianity and was received into the Russian Orthodox Church not long before being sent to Auschwitz. Ilya Fondaminsky died there on November 19, 1942, aged 62. 

Priest Dimitry Klepinine (1944)

Father Dimitri Klepinin was born in 1904 in Russia to an educated, cultivated, devout Orthodox family.  His mother, Sophia, helped establish Orthodox schools in Odessa, where they lived, and became active in providing help and support to the city’s poor.  The Klepinin family fled Russia after the Communist Revolution, first residing in Constantinople, then Yugoslavia, and finally in Paris, France.  A turning point in Dimitri’s life occurred in 1923 when his beloved mother died.  He described this experience in a letter to a friend:

“…the first time I understood the significance of suffering…But joy returned to me when I remembered the Savior’s words:  ‘Come to Me, all who labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. I had come to my mother’s grave with the heavy burden of worldly worries.  Everything seemed confused and unsolvable when suddenly I found the light yoke of Christ.  I’ve never known a day more joyful than that day, and I thank God for all He’s given me to bear.  After that experience, I reoriented my life, and it became easier to resolve certain problems."

In 1925, Dimitri enrolled in the St. Sergius Theological Institute in Paris, and after graduating in 1929, he received a scholarship to study in America at the New York Protestant Theological Seminary.  Returning to Paris, he worked various jobs while remaining active in the Church, directing the parish choir.  Dimitri married Tamara Baimakova in 1937 and was ordained by Metropolitan Evlogy.  A daughter Helen was born in 1939, and a son Paul in 1942.  Father Dimitri’s life was forever changed in 1939.   He was assigned as the parish priest at the shelter for the poor operated by an Orthodox nun, Mother Maria Skobtsova. Significantly for his life and that of Mother Maria, that same year France was invaded and conquered by the German Nazis.  Mother Maria (now St. Maria of Paris) had opened a home and shelter to minister to the poor of Paris.  As the Nazis began the mass arrests of French Jews in 1942, many sought help and refuge at Mother Maria’s shelter.  As a shield against deportation to a concentration camp, many Jews sought to obtain baptismal certificates from Father Dimitri.  While initially troubled by engaging in such deception, he realized his Christian Faith and priesthood demanded that he act.  He placed a small mark on the false certificates to remember which were authentic and which were not.  

Christ would give me that paper if I were in their place.  So I must do it… …If a man surprised by a storm takes shelter in a church, do I have the right to close the door?

During war, suffering, and mass arrests, one of Father Dimitri’s parishioners wrote of the experience of celebrating Pascha with him in 1942.  It was to be his final Pascha at his parish:

Outside there were restrictions, anguish, and war.  Here in the church, lit up by our candles, was our priest, all vested in white, as if borne on the wings of the winds.  With his face radiant, he proclaimed, “Christ is risen!”.  And we responded, “Truly He is risen!” causing the shadows to scatter.

In February, 1943, the Gestapo arrived at Mother Maria’s shelter and arrested Mother Maria, her son Yuri and several others.  In Yuri’s pocket, they discovered a letter from a Jewish family to Father Dimitri requesting a baptismal certificate.  Father Dmitri was absent during the raid, but the following day, he calmly celebrated a final Divine Liturgy in the church and went to face the Gestapo. 

Two months later, Father Dimitri and Mother Maria's son Yuri were sent to a prison camp. In the camp, Father Dimitri continued to function as a priest. ��The Orthodox prisoners were permitted to set up a chapel where the Divine Liturgy was served daily.  Father Dimitri could sketch the chapel, which he smuggled out to his wife.  In letters he wrote to his family, he encouraged his wife to remain strong:

Make the morose thoughts go away with the Jesus Prayer, take Communion as often as possible…Don’t let despondency or irritation take root in you, and dash and confess to a priest.

Of his own life he wrote:

I am fully aware that the will of God is being carried out and that a new obedience in the Church is beginning for me.

After a year, Father Dimitri was sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany and then to the camp at Dora.   His health was broken; suffering from pneumonia, he died on February 9, 1944, and his body was burned in the Buchenwald crematorium.   When word reached his family that Father Dmitri had died, Metropolitan Evlogy officiated at a solemn funeral service in the Paris Cathedral.  On January 16, 2004, Father Dimitri, Mother Maria, her son Yuri and associate Elia Fondaminski were all glorified as martyrs/saints of the Orthodox Church by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.  Their memory is kept each year on their feast day of July 20

Saint Marie of Paris (1945)

Mother Maria was born in Latvia in 1891. Like many of the pre-Revolutionary Russian intelligenstia, she was an atheist and a political radical in her youth but gradually came to accept the truths of the Faith. After the Revolution, she became part of Paris's large Russian emigre population. There she was tonsured as a nun by Metropolitan Evlogy, and devoted herself to a life of service to the poor. With a small community of fellow believers, she established 'houses of hospitality' for the poor, the homeless, the alcoholic and visited Russian emigres in mental hospitals. In 1939 Metropolitan Evlogy sent the young priest Fr Dimitry to serve Mother Maria's community; he proved to be a partner, committed even unto death, in the community's work among the poor. When the Nazis took Paris in 1940, Mother Maria, Fr Dimitry, and others of the community chose to remain in the city to care for those who had come to count on them. As Nazi persecution of Jews in France increased, the Orthodox community's work naturally expanded to include protection and care of these most helpless ones. Father Dimitri was asked to provide forged certificates of baptism to preserve the lives of Jews and always complied. Eventually, this work led to the arrest of Mother Maria, Fr Dimitri, and their associates. A fragment survives of the Gestapo's interrogation of Fr Dimitri:

  Hoffman: If we release you, will you give your word never again to aid Jews?   Klepinin: I can say no such thing. I am a Christian and must act as I must. (Hoffman struck Klepinin across the face.)   Hoffman: Jew lover! How dare you talk of helping those swine as being a Christian duty! (Klepinin, recovering his balance, held up the cross from his cassock.)   Klepinin: Do you know this Jew? (For this, Father Dimitri was knocked to the floor.)   "Your priest did himself in," Hoffman said afterward to Sophia Pilenko. "He insists that if he were to be freed, he would act exactly as before."   Mother Maria, Fr Dimitri, and several of their colleagues were sent to the Nazi concentration camps (Mother Maria to Ravensbruck, Fr Dimitri to Buchenwald) where, after great suffering, they perished. It is believed that Mother Maria's last act was to take the place of a Jew being sent to death, voluntarily dying in his place.

JAMES 5:10-20

10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11 Indeed, we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord-that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No," lest you fall into judgment. 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the church's elders, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 He prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover many sins.

LUKE 4:22-30

22 So all bore witness to Him and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?" 23 He told them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.' " 24 Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel during Elisha the prophet's time, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian. 28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then, passing through the midst of them, He went His way.