NPC’s
(by request)
In the first century, Roman jailers were tortured and put to death if their prisoners escaped.
That’s the backstory to the jailer’s reaction to the earthquake at the jail in today’s first reading.
The foundations of the jail shake, the doors fly open, the chains are pulled loose.
The jailer sees this, assumes that his prisoners (Paul and Silas) have escaped, and prepares to kill himself. Because he knows what they do to jailers.
In that moment of despair, Paul calls out to the jailer, “Do no harm to yourself, we are all here.”
When they could have escaped, Paul and Silas didn’t. Why?
Because Paul and Silas know what they do to jailers.
It would have been so easy for them to run away after the earthquake. Paul and Silas had every reason to do it.
Their friends would have been so happy for them to be free. No one would have given the jailer a second thought.
But Paul and Silas? They knew what running away would mean for the jailer.
So, they stayed. And made sure that the jailer didn’t take his own life.
Why? What makes the jailer so special? All we know about him is his job. In the narrative, he’s part of the scenery, a nameless background character. In gaming terms, he’s an NPC (non-player character).
But that’s not how God sees things. In God’s eyes, there are no nameless background characters.
Paul and Silas are instruments of God’s grace, to be sure. But if we’re only looking at Paul and Silas, then we’ve missed the point of the earthquake at the jail and everything that followed.
Everything that happened wasn’t done for show, so that people would be impressed with Paul and Silas.
As St. John Chrysostom tells us, it was all done for the jailer – “not for show but for salvation.”
It was all done so that someone who was part of the scenery, a nameless background character to everyone else, might know how much he mattered to God. That to God, “he was worthy of salvation.”
That is how God looks at each one of us.
Because in God’s eyes, there are no NPC’s.
Today’s Readings
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Nightwing why are you warring a cape? Well for the baby of course! Dcxdp
This takes place in the same universe as my fic Mother of the storm and her star child.
A few years have passed and Danny is completely settled in and moved to bulhaven with dick. Eventually around the time he’s Turing 9 he insists that he wants to go out at night with dick. Dick is hesitant but Danny insist, pointing out how his abilities would make him the perfect recon detective. Dick can no longer argue when Danny beats both Damian and Cass the first day of training and he is out out in the field.
Danny hose out in his ghost form and picks the name phantom because it feels right and now nightwing patrols with a bird if his very own for the first time in a while. Danny is very good on patrols, he sticks close to dick often clinging to him and hiding behind him when dick is interacting with people. He’ll often turn invisible but it still doesn’t fell like enough to dick. He quickly released that he missed the cape and the layer of securing it added when Damien was his Robin.
So nightwing starts wearing a cape, and the people of his city starts coming up with all sorts of theories for the sudden change. The range from him practicing because he’s taking over the cowl to him hiding new gadgets. Very few have seen Danny and those who have are often not believed because, “nightwing had glowing eyes under his cape!” Is not very believable.
He doesn’t wear the cape all the time just when he has Danny, the cape is long the outside is black but the inside has a blue and black feather design so it looks like wings when he glides. It has a feature where it retracts in to a role on his back when he need more freedom of movement. And I’m addition to the cape he now has an extra loop hanging form his belt for Danny to grab on to as the hop rooftops. (Danny can will him self to weigh nothing so dick tends to pull him along as he floats any way)
As the news of dicks sudden costume adjustment is circulating he has to come to the watchtower with B for a mission. Danny tags along hiding in his cape like all the Robin had before him with Bruce. Meanwhile Bruce is totally not going all mushy over his grandson he is totally normal about this. All of the Leagers keep giving dick looks.
Until flash finally ask
Wally: so um nightwing what’s with the cape? I thought you hated them?
Dick*with a bright smile across his face*: it’s for my shadow!
Wally: your shadow? How is a cape ganna hide your shadow.
Dick: no not my actual shadow it’s to hide my bird.
Diana: your bird?
*Dick flares one side of the cape revealing the feathered pattern underneath but nothing else is visible hidden under the cape*
Wally: I don’t se-
Dick: whistles like a bird call
Danny slowly fading in to view giving the league a small wave as he scrambles to hide behind dicks legs: Hello
Hal: really Bruce another one!?
Dick Smiling at the small boy in his cape before closing it : nope this one’s all mine!
Meanwhile John Constantine who is present for this mission is freaked the fuck out. Because that kid with the flowing white hair and glowing freckles is definitely not human. And worse than that from what he can sense it’s pretty darn powerful to. He watches as all of his coworkers are working to get the boy out from hiding cooing over him.
Clark: he’s looking a lot better nightwing
Wally: Waite you already new about him?
Clark: yes the boy is nightwings child I’m guessing he only is just now joining the team
Diana: what’s your name little one?
Danny poking his head out of the cape: phantom my name is phantom
Fuck why was that name familiar? Oh shit that’s right John had heard rumors of the new ghost king and a prince milling around the infinite realms this must be the little ghost prince. How the fuck did dick end up with him? Waite sups said that was dicks kid, hold did dick?
John: ha Oh my god! You crazy fucker you fucked the ghosts king!
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Catherine of Siena
“Come to me, all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
If we don’t know what Jesus is talking about, it sounds like a day off. Maybe the best day off ever. Because it’s God’s version of a day off, right?
Not exactly.
What Jesus is talking about is rest from the very thing that makes us heavy laden. When you and I weigh our hearts down with the desire to be someone we’re not.
When we look at other people and say in our hearts, “Why can’t I do what she does?” “How come I don’t get to do that?” “When is it going to be my turn?”
We weigh our hearts down. When we compare ourselves to others like that, we make ourselves heavy laden. And every day – even our day off – becomes a burden.
Because we’re missing what Jesus is saying. So here’s the rest of it.
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
The yoke that Jesus is talking about is not the waste of comparison, or the burden of competition.
The truth is that as long as you compare yourself and your situation to others, you will never be anything but miserable. Because there will always be someone more successful, more talented, more celebrated than you are. This is the burden that Jesus wants you to drop.
Jesus is calling you to follow Him.
Let’s be clear, Jesus is not calling you to follow Him by being someone else. Jesus is calling you to follow Him, by being you.
Before you were ever formed in your mother’s womb, He planned for you to be here. For a moment such as this. That you are you, and that you are here now, is no accident.
And He has already given you everything you need to fulfill the purpose that He has for your life.
This is what Jesus is calling you to take upon you.
The more you live true to that purpose. The more you use what He has given you, to do what He has called you to do.
The closer you follow Him. The lighter it all becomes. The less life weighs you down.
It’s the secret of the great saints. It’s the change of heart that will change the world.
It’s what St. Catherine of Siena was talking about when she said - “Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.”
Today’s Readings
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beach talks / percy jackson x mortal! fem! reader.
a / n : and here i thought i wouldn't write anything mortal x demigod trope,,,, but yeah my brain is screaming ideas to me from all of the bf asmr's and percy jackson's hot self i keep up with. and please let demigod's have magical phones!!
warnings : crying, cuteness overload, suprisingly i didn't cursed?? childhood friends to strangers (?) to lovers, first love, enchanted to meet you fr
oh how you missed perseus jackson.
yancy academy was something traumatising for the both of you, but percy made it easier to survive. he was fun, sarcastic, cute, and had the most gorgeous sea green eyes.
you two loved sneaking out from the school, just to visit beach. you both loved the sea, but you knew he loved it more than you. whenever he was near the ocean, he would always be more calmer.
his eyes would change the color according to the sea, or you we're just so in love with his eyes that you romanticised it in every way.
so when he called you last night, to ask you if you would meet up at the beach you always visited back then, you couldn't say no. instead, you laughed and said 'you always loved to be near the ocean anyways.'
you were so mad at him, so mad. you said you wouldn't leave him when he got expelled, but instead, he left you. he dissapeared without saying anything. and years later, the last week of the summer before collage starts, he reached to you.
and you're so, so mad at yourself for agreeing to meet up with him.
but then again, the way you missed and loved him was more powerful than your anger.
the beach was the same as the last day you arrived here. two years after percy got expelled and didn't even answered any of your calls that time, dissapearing. you were 14, now returning as 18.
you saw a familiar boy sitting on the sand, hugging his knees and watching the ocean with a calm look on his face. he had the same messy raven hair and sharp features with the boy you were in love with when you were 12.
"percy?" you called softly, approaching the boy. he immediatly turned to you, bright sea green eyes piercing your soul.
oh, those sea green eyes.
"oh gods, y/n," he said, stooding up. you tried to pay no mind to him saying 'gods' instead of 'god.' since he hugged you like he was going to break your ribs. "i missed you so much."
the tears were already showing themselfs in your eyes. man, you really loved this boy. as you hugged him back, the change in his appearence made you sad. because you weren't there to see it, to tease him for how quick he got taller or how ripped he was now.
he was more tan, he had many, many scars on his body. he smelled like salt water and wow, he was so much taller than you now. not to mention of how bigger his body get. was he in the military or something when he was gone?
"thank you for coming," he said, pulling away to look at you. his smile was bright like you remembered, so strong that always making people mirror his expression. "i really appreciate it."
"well, i deserve an apology right?" you said, sitting next to his previous place on the sand. he sat next to you, expression.. guilty.
"you deserve much more than that," he said quietly, meeting your eyes. you avoided them, 'cause if you didn't, you would scream: it's okay! i forgive you handsome!
"what are you waiting for then?" you asked, watching the ocean. "make up for it jackson."
and with that, he began to tell you everything. he knew he didn't have to hide anything from you, and how you we're a little mythology obsessed. it did suprised you, but you didn't showed it.
"and i knew i had to reach you after the last war because," he said, meeting your eyes again. this time, you looked back at him. "there's not gonna be any prophecy soon."
a sigh escaped your lips, as a way of process everything. "first of all, i'm mad." you said, and percy groaned in sadness. "because i would've helped you through everything, i would try my best."
"i know," percy whispered. "but i didn't want to put you in danger, you're important to me."
good one, you thought. he sure learned how to make a girl melt.
"second of all," you ignored his comment. "i guess i can forgive you since, you saved the world and all." he chuckled at your joke, finally relaxing his shoulders.
"you- you're not freaked out?" he finally asked. and you shook your head.
"you knew i always had a thing for supernatural stuff," you said with a shrug, smiling at him. he smiled back, squinting his eyes because of the sun. "yeah, i know." he nodded.
"so uh," you avoided his gaze again. "got any girlfriends? you've been gone for too long, we need to make up for it."
you were actually scared to ask this question, because you couldn't had a boyfriend after him. you didn't know why, but you were so loyal to him that you didn't even loved someone after him.
"no." he said. "i never loved anyone like i loved you."
oh gods, you thought. did he read my mind? how can we be this same?
"you-" you stuttered. "you- what?" he chuckled, pinching your cheek.
"guess i skipped the part were my fatal flaw is loyalty," he explained. "i had the biggest crush on you when we were 12, and i couldn't forget about you ever since. i knew i had to be with you, so i won the wars and didn't die, just to return to you."
the pinching turned into caress, and the next thing you knew was you were in his arms. "perseus jackson," you whispered, tears rolling down. you hated when you were filled up with this much emotion. "you're really the worst first love."
he only smiled, like he knew the feelings were mutual. and deep down, he did. all those years, he knew he was going to reach you and make you his one day. just when all of the stuff was over, like now.
"i know pretty," he murmured, resting his forehead against yours. he kept caressing your cheek gently, and your noses brushed every once in a while. "but i'm gonna make up for it, i swear it on the river styx."
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