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eorzeanflowers · 5 months

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"Well, Yasha, you asked me out here... Is something the matter?" Yda asked the serious gladiator turned Scion following her to a bridge near the Sylphlands.

"I.. um.." Yasha fidgeted with her hands a moment. "I thought we worked well together... again." She rubbed the back of her head with a self conscious grin.

"We did, didn't we." Yda grinned. She took a couple of cheerful steps towards Yasha, an arm behind her back. "But that's something you could've said back in camp, isn't it?" There was mirth and a flirty tone to her voice. "But instead you asked me to come to this beautiful waterfall."

"I think you're beautiful!" Yasha blurted out nearly immediately after Yda's words. She immediately went red and covered her face.

Yda stepped close to Yasha, taking one of her hands and bringing it to her face. "I think you are quite beautiful too, Yasha." She nuzzled Yasha's hand, dropping her own to her side.

Yasha, a little dumbfounded smiled a goofy grin. She hummed a cheery little ditty before putting her forehead to Yda's aethermeter with a soft thunk. She pulled back with an embarrassed giggle, which Yda joined in with.

Yasha looked at Yda with dreamy look in her eyes, quietly asking, "May I give you a kiss, Yda?"

"Mmm, yes, I think you may." Yda gave a soft giggle and leaned in close.

Yasha leaned in close as well, and gave Yda a soft kiss. One that missed its mark on Yda's waiting lips and instead was clumsily on her cheek. Realizing her error, Yasha reeled back.

"I'msosorryYdaI'vegottago!" Yasha bolted back towards the Gridanian territory, leaving a confused Yda behind.

"Yasha! Wait!" Yda reached out towards the departing Scion, but with Yasha's embarrassed speed, Yasha quickly vanished into the undergrowth. Yda blinked under her mask a couple of times, before sighing.

"Oh my, I think I'm falling..." Yda muttered as she gently touched her kissed cheek.

Bonus:

A day later, back at the Waking Sands.

Yasha was a blushing mess as she recounted her mishap with Yda in the Black Shroud

"So, let me get this straight. You asked Yda to a private place, attempted to court her, KISSED her, and then ran away at the first sign of something good happening to both of you?" Jana directly and bluntly laid out the bare bones of Yasha's story.

"It was quite silly of you Yasha, I do agree with Jana's reasonings. But I'm sure Yda thought you were still quite cute." Eulanne tried to console the mess that was Yasha.

Jana slammed her hands on the table, roaring, "It's not very the worst that you did that night! You had a chance to actually see under Yda's mask and you messed up your opportunity! I am so disappointed in you Yasha!"

"Now, now, Jana. Yasha is still a fledgling. And frankly, the fact that you haven't seen Yda's lovely eyes is a problem of your own." A'tyla finally butted in with a laugh, turning Jana's attention towards her instead of Yasha.

"Wait, what? You've seen Yda's eyes!" Jana incredulously turned to A'tyla.

"Yes."

"Do tell!" Jana scooted her chair over to A'tyla with rapt attention.

"A lady never gives out her secrets." A'tyla taps the side of her nose with a wink.

"WHY YOU MAGE!" Jana flared up again, reaching for her staff.

All while that was happening Eulanne had scooted over to Yasha and patted her on the shoulder. "You'll likely get a second chance hotshot, just close your eyes after you make contact with her lips."

Yasha just sank even deeper into her chair as she turned an even darker shade of red.

#the gardenia #the hyacinth #the sunflower #the gladiolus #slice of life in the times of the Warriors of Light #Yasha is so cute #and the Scion WoLs are just adorable together #I'm gonna try to write more of their dynamic this year.#this is post Toto-Rak but before the Haukke Manor stuff!

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pamietniko · 10 months

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Gustav Klimt’s “The Sunflower” in the Belvedere museum

Vienna, Austria

#Austria #Vienna #35mm #analogue #film photography #photographers on tumblr #original photography #Belvedere museum #The sunflower #art museum #museum photography #museum aesthetic #museum #sunflowers #sunflower #Gustav Klimt #flower art

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dramoor · 1 year

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A certain famous theologian fervently and constantly prayed to God for eight years, asking Him to reveal a person capable of showing him a direct and true path to the acquisition of the heavenly kingdom. One day when this theologian was especially filled with a strong desire to find such a person and was incapable of thinking of anything else, he increased his prayers. Suddenly, he heard an invisible heavenly voice that said to him, "Go outside the doors of the church and you will find the person you seek."

The theologian, obedient to the voice, immediately went out and found a beggar in rags sitting at the doors of the church. His knees were covered with scabs and seeping with pus. The wise theologian approached him and said, "A good and fortunate morning to you, old man!"

The beggar answered, "I have never had an evil or unfortunate day in my life." The theologian, desiring to correct his greeting, changed it. "May God send you all possible benefits!”

The poor man answered, "God has never sent me anything but good."

The theologian wondered if he had gone deaf. So he tried a different approach. "What is the matter with you, old man? I desire you to have abundance in all things.”

The old man answered, "I have never lacked anything."

The theologian, thinking that the man might prove to be talkative, and desiring to test his knowledge, said, "I would like for all your desires in this life to be fulfilled. I hope God sends you everything you wish."

"I seek none of those things that you desire for me. Everything occurs according to my wishes if I make no plans for my life, but live soley by God's will."

The theologian said, "May God preserve you, good man, for your lack of desire for a prosperous life. But I beg you, tell me, are you the only blessed beggar in the world? Were these words of Job spoken in vain?" 'For mortal man born of woman is short-lived and full of wrath.' (Job 14:1) How are you alone delivered from all evil times and misfortunes? I do not understand your thoughts sufficiently.”

"Everything that I told you, master, I spoke the truth. When you desired that I have a good and prosperous morning, I answered that I never had an evil morning, because I am always content with the lot God gave me. I do not seek happiness and worldly success, and that gives me the greatest well-being. Ill fortune, prosperity, or calamities do no evil to anyone, except to those who either strongly desire them and run after them, or run away from them and fear their coming. I disdain money and do not make an idol of it. I only pray to the Heavenly Father, Who directs every person's life to the best, whether it be through joys or misfortunes. He knows completely whether joys or misfortunes are more salvific for a person. Therefore, I say that I have never experienced any misfortune, because everything in my life is as I wish. When I am hungry, I thank the all-seeing God for it. When I am burned by cold as by fire, or when rain or hail or snow pours down on me, I glorify God for it. If someone mocks me, strikes me, or insults me, I also thank God for it, for I am sure that this is allowed by god's will, and everything that God sends serves for my benefit and perfection. Thus, everything that God sends me or allows other people to do to me - whether pleasant or repugnant, whether sweet or bitter - I accept with equanimity. I accept everything as coming from the hand of the merciful Father, and I only desire that which God desires, and what it pleases Him to allow others to do to me. In this way, everything occurs by God's desire, which is also my own desire.

Whoever considers worldly happiness as something important and significant should be pitied. Equally miserable is the one who seeks fulfillment in anything worldly. The only true and unshakeable happiness and blessedness in this life is found by the one who sincerely, without doubt, commits himself to God's will and leads his life according to God's will, never opposing it. For the will of the Lord is the fullness of perfection and goodness; it never changes, and outside it there is no other better or more just will. I apply myself and my mind completely to always desire only that which God wants of his rational creation in general and of me in particular. Therefore, I have never been troubled; for I gave my will completely into the hands of God, and now the desire of my heart is the same as God's desire and providence for me, and I thank God for His mercy, even if it seems bitter."

"Is this wisdom you speak to me?" countered the theologian. "But tell me further, I beg you. If God willed to cast you into hell, would you think the same way?”

The beggar answered," Would God cast me into the abyss? Know this: I have two mighty hands with which I would grab God and not let go. One hand is humility, acquired by giving myself as a sacrifice to God; the other hand is love free of pretense for God, that pours forth from my deepest heart onto all my neighbors through my good deeds. With these hands I would grab God, and no matter where He would send me, I would take Him with me. Truly it would be better to be with God in hell than in heaven without Him.”

This answer surprised the theologian exceedingly. Internally, he acknowledged that the path revealed to him by the old beggar would lead to God directly, with no delusion. Truly, this was the most perfect of all ways leading to God. The wise man wanted to discover even more wisdom hidden under the crude mantle of the beggar.

"Where have you come from?" he asked. "I came from God." "Where did you find God?" "I found Him where I left all perishable things of this world." "Where did you leave God?" "I left Him in pure hearts and good will." "Who are you, old man? To what social class do you belong?" "Whoever I was, I am content with my lot and would not change it for the riches of all kings combined. Any person can be called a king if he wisely directs and rules over himself." "Are you a king?" asked the wise man. "Where is your kingdom?” "There," said the pauper, pointing up to heaven with his finger. "He is a king, whose kingdom is written in the book of fates.”

Desiring to put an end to all questions, the wise man asked the beggar, "Who taught you all that you have told me, who pout these words into your mind?"

"I will reveal this to you, my lord. All my days I spend in silence, prayer, or in good and pious meditation, and more than anything I constantly hold in my mind and memory the need to seek out new ways to more completely unite myself to God through limitless submission to His holy will. Such total consecration of one's self to God can teach a zealous person much that is true, good, and holy, both in knowledge and in life experience."

The theologian had many more questions, but he had a firm hope that he would find another good time for them, and he parted from the beggar by saying, "Be healthy, old man!"

Then he left him, mulling all this over. He said to himself, "Truly I found the best teacher of the right way to God."

Blessed Augustine said, "Sometimes the unlearned appear before us and teach us about the coming kingdom of heaven; we, with our wisdom, do not seek it with enough zeal, instead becoming attached to things here in this life, becoming defiled with the filth of flesh and blood."

Jesus Christ speaks of this same opposition between spiritual humble-mindedness and worldly wisdom in His prayer to God the Father: "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes [that is, the pure in heart]. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight" (Matthew 11:25-26).

Truly, dirty rags sometimes hide the greatest wisdom. And who would have thought or believed that in such a simple, unlearned man could be found such exalted knowledge of the Divine Essence? Who would think to find in such unlettered simplicity such elevation of thought as the poor man's image of two mighty hands clinging to God, that is, one's complete self-offering to God and love for Him, expressed by the fulfillment of His commandments.

With these hands - humility and love - truly God allows Himself to be seized by mankind, but from other hands He turns away.”

~On Completely Committing One's Life, Will, and Works to the Will of God, by St. John of Tobolsk and All Siberia

#Orthodox Christian #St. John of Tobolsk and All Siberia #the way to God #Lord Jesus Christ #Icons #The Sunflower #humility #love #God #consecration of one's will to God #kingdom of heaven

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suiheisen · 1 year

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